Mama Gotham
by nofilter
Summary: The number of kids on the streets of Gotham has been dwindling, and fingers are pointing to an eccentric woman that the papers are calling 'Mama Gotham.' Learn the story of Alyssa Connors, from the circus boy she defended as a child, to the boy with a love of riddles she could never shake her feelings for. No one makes it out of Gotham without a story to tell.
1. Haly's Circus

Alyssa was sure that the circus was more fun if you weren't trying to wrangle an excited little sister and two drunken parents that all liked to get into things they shouldn't.

"Jamie!" she ran after the eight year old and winced when she ran into her own reflection. "Stupid hall of mirrors..." she muttered, rubbing her head.

At eleven years old, Alyssa Connors could hardly appreciate the attraction the way a child her age should. She was too busy keeping her sister out of trouble and making sure her parents didn't do something to get themselves arrested. Add that to the fact that Gotham City New Jersey was hardly a place that kindled a child's innocence, it was no surprise that Alyssa had none.

Fumbling with her arms out, she tried to navigate her way through the maze. The sound of Jamie's laughter was long gone, so she was probably already out. And a good thing too, this place looked ready to collapse.

As if to prove her point, the next mirror she bumped wobbled and fell backward. It shattered upon impact with the ground and put a gaping hole in the maze.

"Well, that's one way to do that." she remarked, stepping out to continue her search for her sister. She stopped however, when she heard crying.

Following the sound, she found a small red haired boy who couldn't be much older than her sister behind the hall of mirrors. He was curled up with his knees in his chest, pulled in so close that it looked like he was trying to disappear.

"Hey."

The poor thing jumped like he had been electrocuted, looking at Alyssa with wide, terrified eyes.

"Why're you crying?"

The boy just sniffed and wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

"What's your name?" Alyssa tried.

"...J-Jerome."

She smiled. "Nice to meet you, Jerome. I'm Alyssa." she held out her hand to help the boy up. "You wanna come get some cotton candy with me?"

Jerome stared at her hand, blinking in confusion. Then he smiled.

"Okay..."

It was interesting to see how quickly the boy went from crying to grinning so wide his face threatened to split in half. He clung tightly to Alyssa's hand, the other hand holding the cotton candy she had bought for him which he was happily munching on.

"Did you come here on your own?" Jerome asked, looking up at her. She was certainly older than him, but she didn't look old enough to have come here without her parents.

"No, my parents brought me and my sister. Keeps them from yelling..." Alyssa muttered the last part, but Jerome caught it.

"Why were they yelling?" he asked, eyes lit up with something Alyssa couldn't name.

"Cuz they always are." she shrugged.

She hated herself for it later, but in that moment she had forgotten about her parents and her sister. It was just nice to talk to someone outside the family, even if that some one was at least four years younger than her.

Jerome looked up at her, scanning over her completely. She had dark brown hair that reached just past her shoulders, brown eyes that reminded him of chocolate, and wore jeans and a green t-shirt that both seemed worn out and too big on her.

When her sleeve of the black canvas jacket she wore slid up however, he could see bruises that matched the ones under his clothes.

"'Lyssa!" a small girl with bouncy brown curls ran into her side.

"Jamie! There you are!" Alyssa wrapped her arm around the girl in a protective way that Jerome had never seen. Kneeling down to her height, she gave her a stern look. "No running off anymore. I need to keep you safe."

The girl - Jamie - nodded with a guilty look. "Yes 'Lyssa." it was then she spotted Jerome behind her. "Who's he?"

"Jamie, this is my new friend Jerome. Jerome, this is my sister Jamie."

"Hello." Jerome smiled at her, but it didn't have the same sincerity as the smile he'd given Alyssa. Jerome didn't like Jamie. She seemed immature and bratty as she demanded some of Alyssa's cotton candy, which the older girl handed over without a second thought.

Alyssa scanned the crowd of people, hoping her parents hadn't gotten themselves into trouble when someone called - more like shouted - Jerome's name.

The boy's happy mood quickly vanished as his mother stumbled over drunkenly. "Boy, you're supposed to be doin' the dishes."

"I did them already..." Jerome hid behind Alyssa. She had been nice to him, maybe, just maybe she would protect him.

"Who are you?" Lyla's eyes fell on Alyssa.

"I'm Alyssa Connors, who the hell are you?" Alyssa glared at the woman. She could guess that this was Jerome's mother, and she could recognize the signs of drinking. She didn't like it when her parents got drunk, she didn't like it any more when it was someone else's.

"Lyla Valeska. Jerome's mother. What are you doing with my son?"

"We're having cotton candy."

She scoffed. "Rotten kids like him don't get sweets. Come on, Jerome, we're goin' home."

"Excuse me." Alyssa stepped up to the woman. "But your son happens to be a wonderful boy. Though having met you, I imagine he gets it from his father." she laid a hand on the boys arm. "Come on Jerome, you can spend the day with me and Jamie."

Looking far too drunk to argue, Lyla Valeska let the children walk away, but not without muttering some foul things under her breath.

Jerome didn't care. He enjoyed spending time with the Connors sisters, babbling about anything that came to mind. He told stories about living at the circus, made jokes just to hear them laugh, and even showed them a few magic tricks. Jamie had squealed when he pulled a quarter out of her ear, and Alyssa had blushed slightly when he handed her the rose he made appear out of thin air.

Jerome cursed the setting sun, knowing it was bringing the first happy day he'd had in years to an end. But Alyssa got back to tracking down her parents, muttering how she hoped they hadn't gotten into any trouble.

"Only I could loose two drunken idiots." she sighed, balancing a sleeping Jamie on one side while Jerome clung to her free hand.

 _Honk honk!_

"Oh of course, drunken idiots are in the car already."

"Do you have to go?" Jerome looked up at her. He wanted her to stay. He wanted to keep her forever, be able to play games with her, show her how to win the ring toss.

Alyssa smiled sadly at the boy's pleading look. "Tell you what, the circus in in town all month right?"

He nodded.

"Well I drop Jamie off at summer camp on Monday at ten. So I'll be here by ten-thirty, okay? Maybe you can teach me some of your magic tricks."


	2. Opposites Attract

***One year later***

Edward Nygma: Science geek, social outsider, lover of riddles, and knower of pretty much everything.

Alyssa Connors: Trouble maker, detention club platinum member, in a love-hate relationship with Gotham Junior High principal, and cheered when she got a C.

As such different people, it was no surprise that they had never met. Then again, their relationship began as it continued: unconventionally.

" _Ahh!_ "

Edward jumped back when a girl that appeared to be his age fell through the ceiling vent an onto the notes he had spread across the table in the science room. She didn't seem to be hurt, as she quickly sat up and gave him wide smile upon seeing him.

"Hi!"

"W-what are you doing falling from the ceiling?" Edward stuttered once he found his voice.

"What are you doing rooted to the floor?" the girl countered as though he was the odd one.

"Gravity." he countered automatically.

"Well there's your answer then." she swung he around and jumped off the table, knocking several of his papers onto the floor in the process.

"Connors!" a clearly adult voice shouted from the hall, making the girl wince.

"Annnd, that's my que. Gotta go bye!"

And she was out the door, gone as quickly as she'd came.

The poor twelve-year-old genius was left standing there in shock.

"What just happened?"

As a scientist, Edward Nygma naturally had a strong sense of curiosity. He wanted to find out who the girl was; and she was by no means hard to find.

"I got pudding cups, chocolate, vanilla, and butterscotch! What'll ya offer?"

"Cheese puffs!" one student called out.

"Chocolate chip muffin!" another shouted.

"I got muffins, going once, going twice... _Sold!_ "

Edward didn't spend much time in the school cafeteria for fear of having to sit alone – or worse, bullies finding him – but even he knew lunchroom auctions like this were a regular occurrence.

And standing on one of the tables, the items up for bid sitting at her feet, was the girl who had dropped in on his studying – if you'll pardon the pun.

She was beautiful. Her dark brown hair fell just passed her shoulders, her eyes twinkled, and she regarded the room before her with an 'I don't care' kind of confidence that he envied.

Still, her smile fell into the same wince it had when someone shouted her name.

"Connors! Get down from there!"

"Oh Hamish, why ya gotta spoil the fun?" she huffed, jumping down from the table none the less.

"How many times have I told you not to have these...auctions of yours?"

"Uh..." she looked down to count on her fingers. "78."

"I had it at 77."

"This makes 78!"

The principal sighed, clearly at a loss. Edward could tell that this girl had a reputation for trouble, and with the school year half over, she had surely faced plenty of punishment that didn't seem to be making a difference.

Then comes the turning point that would change both their lives.

"Mr. Nygma!"

Edward jumped and ran forward. "Yes sir?"

"It seems Ms. Connors is struggling in her classes. Perhaps you could start tutoring her? Everyday after school."

"What?" the girl – 'Ms. Connors' – exclaimed. "But I've got detention!"

"Not anymore." the principal said smugly. "Now you'll be meeting Mr. Nygma in the science lab until your grades are up."

"She will?" Edward asked.

"I will?" Connors echoed.

"You will."


	3. Riddles

Despite always being up for a mental challenge, Edward Nygma was finding tutoring _physically_ draining.

He had never been good at talking to people, especially girls. He always ended up spouting facts and riddles that would either get him looks of confusion or beat up. The only reason he hadn't taken the offer to advance to high school early was because he feared the bullies there being stronger.

It didn't help that Alyssa was so stubborn. Over the past week she had no interest in any of the subjects he offered, he was lucky if she showed up! It was only when principal Johnson threatened to expel her that she stayed put.

"What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?" Edward asked, always more comfortable telling riddles.

"Huh?" Alyssa frowned.

"Its a riddle. What word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?"

Giving him the same look people usually gave him when he spoke in riddles, she shrugged. "Short."

Edward blinked several times in shock. "P-pardon?"

"That's the answer isn't? Add two letters to 'short', it becomes 'shorter.'"

"H-how'd you know that?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Edward gulped and fixed his glasses. This girl seemed to bring up nothing but uncharted territory for him.

"Do you like riddles?"

Alyssa shrugged. "Sometimes. I'm not very good at them." she gestured to the work in front of them. "As you may have noticed, I'm not very smart."

Edward frowned. "No, no, I don't think that's true."

"Have you seen my grades. D-D-D-D-D-D-F." she said in a sing-song voice with animated hand gestures.

"Maybe you just need to apply yourself."

Alyssa scoffed. "Sure, four-eyes. The day I get an A is the day you get a date."

Edward frowned, but didn't let the insult deter him. She had answered his riddles, no one had ever done that before. He hoped...

"Ms. Connors...Do you think..." he stumbled over his words. "Maybe...Could we be friends?"

Alyssa laughed, but not in the harsh way the other kids in their class did.

"Yeah. I could use a smart friend."

Never was there a stranger pair, or a pair that worked so well together.

As the year went on, Edward found that Alyssa could fill him in on all the social understanding he was missing out on, and Alyssa discovered that she could use Edward's knowledge to her advantage. As she put it, his mind was 'very fancy'

Edward Nygma knew the laws of probability very well, so he knew how lucky he had become. Alyssa threatened the boys that used to beat him up, and they suddenly didn't anymore. She rolled her eyes at anyone who made comments when they saw them together in the halls, and was actually doing better in her classes – but that was because he'd learned to bribe her with candy.

The girl was an anomaly, he decided. She truly didn't seem to care what people thought about her, which was something even the most popular kids in the school couldn't say. She was the exception to every rule of human nature he knew – including the ones she had taught him.

Naturally, events like this have to be studied.

As such, their study sessions became less about learning about history and algebra and became more about learning about her.

She was very proud of her 87 detentions record – beaten out only by someone named Billy Dawson, who she seemed to despise – knew the school like the back of her hand, vental shafts and basement pipes included, and had an Achilles' heel for candy; preferably bite size kinds, cherry flavor was her favorite.

That was really all he could get out of her. For someone so loud and eccentric, she was rather closed off...

What was interesting is that their relationship was what Edward could only describe as business-like. He offered his academic skills, and she offered her social ones; it was a transaction more than it was a friendship.

He knew he shouldn't push his luck, and to be fair he didn't have much experience on how a friendship should be, but...still...


	4. Some Things Can't Be Explained

It was two months into their relationship that Edward finally discovered something personal about Alyssa Connors: she could draw.

She had been ignoring one of their study sessions, appearing to be doodling in a notebook. When he snatched it from her in frustration however, instead of idle imagery, he found a well-made drawing of a small town road. It was simple really, town homes, shaded trees, and an empty road stretching out into the distance. It was nothing like Gotham City.

"Alyssa..." the frustration he had been feeling melted away instantly. "I had no idea."

"Give it back, poindexter." she said, using the nickname she had dubbed him with but not meeting his eyes.

"Where is it? The street?" he asked, ignoring her outstretched hand.

"It doesn't exist. Just a silly pipe dream from a city girl." she snatched the notebook.

"What do you mean?" Edward asked, all too curious.

Alyssa hesitated slightly. "Do you remember that assembly last week? When they made us watch that 'public safety' video?"

Edward nodded. With the rising crime rate, the video had been shown in all schools, but frankly it was kind of a joke. As if simple caution could protect school children from the streets of Gotham.

"I couldn't watch." Alyssa admitted. "I don't know why, I just...I couldn't watch..."

"Criminals are a very dangerous thing."

"Yeah, so's crossing the road, but I still manage that."

"Ms. Connors, I don't understand you." Edward said, frowning at her. "You disregard the rules, you're not afraid of people who could kill you, and you're very smart but you continue to play the role of a juvenile delinquent."

"And you're an overly curious know-it-all who thinks too much!" she countered. "Not everything has to have an explanation poindexter. Somethings just, are." she shrugged.

"False." Edward declared, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Everything has an explanation, scientific or otherwise."

Alyssa laughed, the sound came out slightly bitter and Edward immediately decided he hated it. "Well I never thought I'd get to say this to you, but you're wrong."

Normally, Edward Nygma spent his evenings in his room studying. For the first time however, he found he couldn't focus.

He folded his arms behind his head and laid down on his bed to stare at the ceiling. Alyssa Connors was...he didn't want to say a riddle, because that would mean admitting there was a riddle he couldn't solve.

She was wrong, she had to be. Everything had an explanation, every question had an answer. It was what he had based his entire life on.

Some answers were just harder to get than others.


	5. I'll Look After You

Upon meeting her, Edward thought Alyssa had the perfect life. She was confident, she was popular, and she didn't seem to have a care in the world.

Getting to know her however – despite such a thing being a nearly impossible task – he found that that wasn't quite true.

He'd made a deal with her to exchange information about himself for information about her. As such, he discovered that her parents were still married and she had a sister three years younger than her.

"What's her name?"

"Jamie." Alyssa said, not looking up from her notebook.

"I might be reading this wrong, but you don't seem very fond of her." Edward said, choosing his words carefully. He'd learned not to assume anything about her; he'd gotten yelled at enough times for that.

But instead of yelling, Alyssa sighed. "She hates me. She blames me for ruining her life."

"Did you?" Edward asked bluntly.

Alyssa looked down. "...Yeah."

In a late hour when anyone else would have been sleeping, Edward Nygma was wide awake, studying by lamp-light.

And it was very lucky for Alyssa Connors he was.

 _Plink_.

Frowning, Edward looked up from his textbook.

 _Plink_.

He whirled around to face his bedroom window. Stepping up to it, he frowned when he saw Alyssa standing in the street below.

'Come down!' she mouthed, waving. 'Please?' she held her hands in front of her in a pleading motion.

Knowing full well Alyssa Connors was never one to ask for something so nicely, Edward was quick to sneak past his mother's room, grab his coat and run for the building's elevator.

Up close, Alyssa was an absolute mess. Her clothes were rumbled, one of the straps on the backpack she was carrying was torn, and there were several bruises on the parts of her skin that he could see; including one that looked suspiciously like a hand print.

"Alyssa, what happened?"

"Can I stay with you tonight, poindexter?"

"Who did this to you?"

"Please?"

If he hadn't been there to see it, Edward never would have believed it; Alyssa Connors looked _scared_. _Desperate_ even. Her eyes were glossed over, and she looked like she was about to collapse.

"...Of course." he nodded. "Come on, I'll take you upstairs." he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, letter her lean on him when he noticed she was limping.

He got her his apartment and sat her down on his bed.

"I'll go wake my mom."

"Don't." she caught his arm. "I-I'm really tired, poindexter. Please don't go anywhere."

Slowly, Edward sat next to her on the twin bed. "Alyssa, who did this to you?"

"Doesn't matter. I'm fine."

"I'm not. Someone hurt my best friend."

"Poindexter-"

"Alyssa, I want to help you." Edward took her hand. "But I can't, not if you shut me out."

Alyssa's hand shook in his grip and he heard her gulp.

"...You remember when I told you my sister hated me?"

He nodded.

"She's only nine, she thinks our parents are perfect. T-they aren't though..." her voice cracked. "They drink a lot, and sometimes people come to buy special powder from dad..."

Edward wanted to speak, to jump up and shout that the powered was cocaine and they had to go to the police immediately. But he bit his tongue. His best friend needed him to be here.

"When they're drunk...they get really mad..." Alyssa rubbed at her arm with her free hand. "I don't let Jamie get near them."

"...Alyssa, did your parents hurt you?"

The tears finally started to flow down her cheeks. She nodded.

"Y-you're smart poindexter...H-how do I handle this, I don't know how to handle this!"

"Not alone." he squeezed her hand. "Alyssa, I'm here for you..."

She laid her head on his shoulder. "Thanks Eddie..."


	6. Think Well Of Me

To say that Mrs. Nygma was surprised when she found a girl in her son's bed would have been an she finally gave the children a chance to speak, it was Edward that did all the talking, Alyssa clinging tightly to his hand and slightly hiding behind him. It only worried the boy all the more, if you had asked him yesterday he'd have said Alyssa Connors wasn't afraid of anything.

Mrs. Nygma softened and apologized when she finally understood. As a mother will, she then fussed over Alyssa's injuries.

"Edward's told me a lot about you." she said, her voice soft and kind in an attempt to sooth the girl. "He says you scared off the kids who were bullying him. Thank you for that."

"They're like that with everyone." Alyssa shrugged, "I guess I'm just a little protective of him cuz he is my only friend..."

"That's not true." Edward frowned. "I see you with other kids all the time. You're always getting into trouble with them."

"Yeah and what does that tell you?" she sighed. "They don't really know me. I'm just a cheap thrill."

"And I know you?" he raised an eyebrow. She hadn't really admitted much about herself, the answers were few and far between.

Alyssa smiled slightly. "You can have me but cannot hold me; gain me and quickly loose me. If treated with care, I am great, and if betrayed I will break. What am I?"

Edward blinked, even his mother looked surprised at someone asking _him_ a riddle for a change.

"Trust." Edward answered, slower than he otherwise would have.

"Precisely my dear poindexter." Alyssa nodded. "You don't have to know everything about me, and I don't have to know everything about you. There's time for that later. I trust you. I wouldn't have come here if I didn't."

The peace of the day was short-lived. Once Mrs. Nygma was no longer fussing, she called the police on Alyssa's parents. Now, this was Gotham, so no one really took her seriously until she mentioned that Mr. Connors was a drug dealer.

Yet another thing Alyssa didn't like about Gotham.

Her sister Jamie went _ballistic_. She insisted that her parents were good people, that they'd never do anything to hurt anyone. She herself was another story however; one of the cops had to hold her back when she saw her sister.

"Why did you have to do this?! We were happy! Why wasn't that enough for you?!"

Alyssa clenched her jaw and turned on her heel, stubbornly ignoring Jamie calling after her, demanding answers. The youngest Connors girl would be sent into foster care, and she was young and sweet enough that she'd be snatched up by a nice family in no time.

Alyssa didn't care what happened to her, as long as Jamie was safe.

"Hey kid!"

"Gah!" Alyssa jumped and whirled around. She glared at the man in a fedora and leather coat who was three times her size. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry." he didn't seem sorry at all. "You're that Connors girl, right? One of the drug dealer's kids?"

"Who wants to know?"

The man pulled a badge out of his jacket. "Detective Harvey Bullock. I was curious as to why we got one girl screaming her head off that her parents are good people and why we got one that called them in."

Alyssa shrugged. "Jamie's nine. She's just a kid."

"So are you."

"I'm mature for my age."

Harvey fought the urge to roll his eyes, annoyed at the girl for avoiding his question. "You're parents are both scumbags. But your sister thinks –"

"I know what she thinks, its her parents!" Alyssa cut him off. She bit her lip and looked down. "A girl should be able to think well of her parents, detective."

"You're tellin' me she has no idea what they're really like?"

"How long you been in Gotham detective?"

"Couple'a years, why?"

"In that time, how many pure, uncorrupted people have you come across?"

Harvey was silent.

"That's what I thought." Alyssa nodded. "Now, Jamie's gonna get adopted. She's gonna be on the first bus out of this city, and she's never gonna know how lucky she was to get out alive."

"She's gonna grow up hating you."

"Doesn't matter." she shook her head. "She'll be safe."

"Wow...that's pretty noble a' you kid."

"Thank you." she nodded. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go find the Nygmas. They're the ones taking me in until further notice."


	7. Penguin'

***One year later***

Naturally, best friends who live together will become closer than best friends who don't. It wasn't very long before Edward Nygma and Alyssa Connors knew each other like the back of their hands.

Alyssa's family wasn't something that was brought up much, her parents were both in prison and she hadn't heard from Jamie since she'd been adopted.

Alyssa had grown far more open, her smiles becoming genuine. She still had a knack for trouble, though now Edward was usually right by her side in it. She was actually passing all of her classes rather well – she still wasn't as smart as Edward however.

Edward never failed to have a smile on his face around Alyssa. Despite taking pride in his intelligence, he had always been insecure about his oddities and how different he was from the other kids. Alyssa had an opposite point of view, seeing all of his strange personality traits as strengths, which did wonders for his confidence.

Mrs. Nygma delighted in having a daughter, and she didn't fail to notice how good the children were for each other.

Alyssa asked once, why she had never met Mr. Nygma...

"He's uh...he's gone." Edward said, fiddling with the pencil between his fingers. "Mom still kept the name, but they've been divorced for several years."

"Oh...Eddie, I'm sorry..."

"Don't be." he shook his head. "It was a long time ago. The 'ole man had no interest in raising a nutty geek, so..."

"Wait, you think it was your fault?" Alyssa frowned.

"I know it was." Edward corrected. "Mom doesn't say it, but I heard them arguing about me." he sighed. "Given the right materials, I could design and build a rocket that could successfully orbit the moon. But other kids could, ya know, throw a ball through a hoop." he mimed shooting a basket ball.

"His loss." Alyssa declared, taking his hand. "Everyone knows jocks are jerks. But you're the sweetest boy I've ever met. Smartest too."

"Thank you..." Edward looked down.

"Besides, it works out." Alyssa smiled. "You be brains, I'll be brawn?"

"What did the card say to the stamp?" Edward looked up with a small smile.

"Got me."

"Stick with me, and we'll go places."

Alyssa laughed. "I've got one for you. I have a frame but no pictures. I have poles but not standing up. What am I?" before he could answer, she snatched his glasses off his face. "Glasses!"

"Hey!" Edward laughed, reaching out blindly. He couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him without his glasses, and Alyssa was quick to move out of range. "Give them back!"

"Say please!"

"Please!"

"Good, now say you love me!"

"Alyssa!" he stumbled forward, trying to find her.

"Say it!" she jumped up onto the his bed to stay out of his reach.

"Fine! I love you! You're my best friend!"

Alyssa laughed, beaming. Jumping down to the floor, she came up to Edward and steadied him. Carefully, she placed the glasses back on his face and made sure they were straight.

"There." she smiled at him. "You know, you don't look like you without your glasses."

"Ugh, I can't believe the teachers gave us so much homework on a Friday." Alyssa huffed, hiking her backpack up on her shoulder. "Its the weekend! I wanna watch cartoons, not do algebra problems!"

"Cartoons are by no means stimulating entertainment." Edward informed matter-of-factly.

"They're funny." Alyssa rolled her eyes.

"Sometimes I question our relationship. You and I have next to nothing in common." Edward gave her an amused look. "I'm not sure why I spend so much time with you."

"Our bedrooms are next door to each other."

He chuckled. "True."

The walked home from school by way of Gotham Academy, the rich kid's school. They didn't talk to them much, preferring to look down their noses at the lower class.

But when the pair passed the alley off the side of the school, Alyssa paused when she heard screaming.

"No no, please!"

"Shut it ya little rat!"

"Rat? I'd say he looks more like a penguin!"

Alyssa and Edward shared a concerned look before they ran forward. They found three boys in Gotham Academy uniforms standing over a fourth boy who coward on the ground, bruised and bleeding. He looked to be their age, and younger than the boys beating him up.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Alyssa shouted.

"Oooo, penguin's got himself a girlfriend!" one of the boys laughed. "Why don't you two get out of here before we give you the same treatment."

"Maybe you didn't hear me." Alyssa glared at him and his friends. "Leave. Him. Alone."

Scoffing, the oldest looking boy stepped up to her, coming to about a foot taller than the girl. "Or what?"

Alyssa sighed. "I tried to be reasonable." she shrugged off her backpack and handed it to Edward. "Eddie, hold this."

"Yes mam." he took it from her and stepped back, all to aware of what was about to happen. She'd done the same thing to his bullies.

Alyssa threw a hard right hook at the boy in front of her, taking him by surprise.

"That's or what."

"Look, we don't wanna hit a girl." one of the boys behind the one who had just been hit said nervously.

"Then this will be very easy. Get. Lost."

"...Come on guys."

"Lets get out of here!"

"This chicks crazy!"

They all bolted.

Alyssa rubbed at her now bruising knuckles and turned to the boy on the ground. "Bullies tend to be cowards. Take a shot back at 'em and they scatter. Here, lemme help you." she pulled him to his feet.

"Thank you..." he stared at her in awe.

"No problem. They hurt you bad?"

"N-nothing major..." he hesitated, then held out a hand. "I'm Oswald. Oswald Cobblepot."

"Alyssa Connors." she smiled and shook his hand. "That's Eddie."

"Edward." he corrected her, stepping up to the pair. "Edward Nygma."

"I-its very nice to meet the both of you."


	8. Snickerdoodles

**A/N: There's some German in this chapter, but I used google translate so it might not be the best. I put the translations in parentheses after its said.**

Oswald Cobblepot had never had any friends growing up, he had gotten into Gotham Academy on a scholarship, and the rich kids had no interest in being friends with 'riffraff'. They treated him like dirt.

Which is why he had to restrain himself from sounding too eager when he invited the nice kids over to his house.

"You saved me, the least I can do is invite you over for a snack. My mother makes very good snickerdoodles..." he tried to keep from looking too hopeful, but he was certain he was failing.

"Well now that you've offered sweets..." the boy, Edward, chuckled.

"Quiet you, I love snickerdoodles." Alyssa smacked his arm.

"You love anything with sugar."

"That, is entirely true." she nodded, turning back to Oswald. "We'd love to come over." she said with a wide smile.

Oswald felt his heart soar. "W-wonderful."

As they walked the path back to his house, he kept waiting to wake up from a dream. He had imagined making friends before, but it had only ever amounted to a hopeful boy's fantasy.

He noticed that the two of them seemed very close, though through their conversation he learned they weren't related. They were just best friends – which was clear by the way they could predict the other's reaction to a topic of conversation.

"I can fly but I have no wings. I can cry but I have no eyes. Wherever I go, darkness follows me. What am I?" Edward asked with a grin. Oswald had learned that the boy was very smart and loved riddles.

He could see Alyssa bouncing on her heels, clearly knowing the answer, but she stayed quiet and looked to him. Oswald realized she was giving him a chance to answer.

Grinning, he thought a moment. "...A cloud?" he offered.

Both of their faces lit up. "Correct!" Edward nodded. "You're very clever."

Oswald felt his cheeks heat up. Only his mother had ever complemented him, but she was his mother so she was obligated to do so. It felt different coming from someone else...

When they came to the Cobblepot household, which was the bottom half a duplex on 3rd street, Mrs. Cobblepot – _Kalbeput –_ went crazy when she saw her son's injuries. She tried to blame Edward and Alyssa, but Oswald was quick to put an end to that.

Still, it was clear the woman didn't like the idea of her son spending time with a girl.

"Demon hussies trying to take you away from your mother! Und der fleck in meinem Haus!" (And the stain in my house!)

Insulted, Alyssa glared at the woman. "Entschuldigen Sie mich mam , aber ich nur traf nur Ihren Sohn heute. Ich möchte sein Freund zu sein , aber es könnte mit Ihnen unnötig beleidigen mich schwierig sein." (Excuse me mam, but I only just met your son today. I'd like to be his friend, but it might be difficult with you needlessly insulting me.)

Mrs. Kableput blinked, clearly surprised. "You speak German?"

"A side effect of being best friends with a brainic." she nudged Edward next to her, who was still glaring at the woman for insulting her. "There's no need to be rude, Mrs. Kableput. I assure you, I haven't come to steal your son."

Oswald blushed hotly and looked down, embarrassed. The good news was that his mother didn't seem to be scaring his new friends away.

The woman 'humphed', clearly respecting Alyssa a bit more after she had spoken in her native tongue. "Very 'vell. I apologize."

"Alyssa saved me mother." Oswald informed, looking at the girl with wonder in his eyes. "She punched Jacob right in the face and scared him and his friends off!"

All disdain left her face at that. "You saved my boy? Come, come, I make you tea and snickerdoodles."

Tea was more Edward's thing, he said it was enriching. Alyssa was more partial to the snickerdoodles, and her praising only made Mrs. Kableput like her all the more.

When the snacks were gone, the children chased each other around the house playing tag. Alyssa was easily the fastest of the three of them, and she flaunted it, making faces at the boys. However she had to stop to do this, which gave them the chance to catch up to her.

Mrs. Kableput watched them with a smile, occasionally telling them to watch out for the furniture. Really she was just delighting in her son's laughter. She had always known he was smart and charming, and now other people knew it too.

It was innocence in its purest form. Three kids who weren't all that good at making friends were playing like normal children.

They had no idea what the future had planned for their adulthood. If they had, they would have savored this moment more.


	9. Gotham Junior High

Despite Edward having prepared her for high school, Alyssa was by no means eager to leave. She always looked forward to the summer, especially July when the circus came to town and she could go to see Jerome. But this was her last year at Gotham Junior High, and despite how she had said she'd hated it, Alyssa had to admit she was said to see her time there end.

While Oswald – who she and Edward had both grown close to – would continue at Gotham Academy, she and Edward would be trading up to Gotham High: the local public school.

This meant bigger classes, new teachers, and a new principal. Alyssa had to admit, she would miss Hamish Johnson.

"Knock knock." she tapped on the door frame a week before school was over for the summer.

"Alyssa Connors? Knocking?" he raised an eyebrow. "I never thought I'd see the day. What have you got planned?"

"Nothing, Hamish." she shook her head. "I just...wanted to talk to you."

Looking surprised, the principal gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "By all means."

Alyssa Connors had sat in this chair a million times. She usually sat sideways or kicked her feet up onto the desk, but for once she sat down properly, resting her hands on her knees.

"Why are you here Ms. Connors?"

Alyssa bit her lip. "...Thanks to the tutor you assigned me, I'm now smart enough to know that...with all the trouble I've caused, any other principal would have expelled me a long time ago. So, I wanted to thank you."

"Well, you're a very bright individual, Ms. Connors." Mr. Johnson smiled slightly. "It would have been a waste to expel you. And since we are so close to the end of the year, I admit I found many of your antics rather humorous."

Alyssa smiled. "I knew I saw you laughing when I glued Mrs. Kenny's desk to the ceiling!"

He chuckled. "Yes, her face was so red I was certain she would pop."

"Right?" Alyssa laughed. "But really Hamish, I'll miss you."

"And I you." the man smiled fondly. "I expect great things from you, Ms. Connors. Very great things."

"No pressure then."

"I mean it. You're very clever, and if you use your skills and talents for good instead of evil...well I believe the world would be a better place for it."

Edward and Alyssa were laying on the roof of the school, watching the clouds roll by overhead. They were ditching study hall, which was the only class Edward still allowed Alyssa to skip.

"We did pretty well here." Edward remark softly.

"Yeah we did." Alyssa nodded. "But I think we did better once we got together."

After a moment of silence, she tore her eyes from the clouds to look at her friend. "Eddie?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for helping me pass my classes."

"Thank _you_ for teaching me how to have fun."

"Ah, you knew how to do that all ready." she looked back at the clouds. "I just showed you a different way."

"No." Edward sat up, pulling Alyssa up with him. "Alyssa...my life is so much better for having you in it. I need you to know that." he chuckled and pushed his glasses up with his free hand. "I was just a nerd. Book smarts isn't any good on its own, I know that now. It was you that took me from ordinary to extraordinary. So thank you for that, Alyssa Connors. Thank you for making me feel extraordinary."

Alyssa gave him an odd look for a moment before she smiled softly. "Thank you for exactly the same, Edward Nygma."

Edward grinned and looked up at the clouds, ever present in the Gotham sky. "I for one can't wait to see what happens next. I sincerely hope its good."

"...Promise me we'll always be together?" Alyssa looked to him.

His eyes drew downwards almost in surprise. "Of course. I'm here as long as you'll have me."

She smiled, squeezed his hand, and laid back down, staring up at the sky. "Then it's good."


	10. In July

"Alyssa!" there was a blur of red hair before the ten year old launched himself into her arms.

"Whoa!" Alyssa stumbled slightly, but hugged him back. "Hey J, its good to see you."

"I missed you..." he clung to her light she'd disappear if she let go.

"Missed you too kid." she smiled, running her fingers through his hair.

Every July, Haly's traveling circus came to Gotham City. With her sister in summer camp, Alyssa came to see Jerome every day. They mostly spent their time at the picnic tables catching up on everything that had happened to the other over the year, Jerome delighting in having someone to tell his stories to.

Alyssa had told him about how her parents had been arrested, and her sister taken in by another family. In the limited amount of time he had spent with the younger Connors girl he hadn't liked her much, but he still hugged Alyssa tightly when the sad look came to her face.

He also knew about her friends Edward and Oswald, who lived in the city and were actually her age. Jerome couldn't help feeling jealous of the boys he had never met; they got Alyssa all year round.

Still, he didn't complain. In July, she was all _his_. He savored his time with her; it was a bright light in his otherwise bleak life.

He'd tell jokes with animated hand gestures, doing anything to get her to laugh.

"That laugh is my favorite sound in the whole world." he told her.

Alyssa blushed and looked down, missing the hunger in the boy's eyes that didn't suit a ten year old.

"Tell me the story of the house again." he requested. One of the first things he'd learned about Alyssa was her dream to leave the city. He loved how passionate she got when talking about the kind of life she'd like to have instead.

"J, I've told you a hundred times." Alyssa chuckled.

"Please?"

"Alright." she said with an amused smile. "So when I get enough money, I'm gonna blow this town. I'll live someplace warm, where it doesn't rain all the time." she glanced up at the near-constant cloud cover over the city. "It'll be a nice town like in the movies, where everybody knows each other and you can go over to anyone's house to play. I'll live in a big brick house _covered_ in ivy."

"With a really long drive way." Jerome grinned, reciting from memory.

"See, I've told you about it so many times you know it by heart." Alyssa shook her head.

"Can I come with you?"

"Huh?" she frowned.

"When you get the big house with the long drive way, I wanna live there too."

"Aw, J..." Alyssa sighed. "Its just a dream. I'm never gonna be able to afford a place like that."

"Yes you will. You're gonna be a famous artist." Jerome said as though it were a universally known fact.

"I-I don't draw for other people to look at-"

"You're a great artist, Alyssa." he cut off her nervous rant. "You can do _anything_. I just don't want you to forget about me when you move on to bigger and better things." he looked down.

Alyssa looked at him a moment then reached out and took his hand. "Tell you what: no matter what house I end up having when I grow up, there will always be a place in it for you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."


	11. Bottles

It was when Alyssa Connors, Edward Nygma, and Oswald Cobblepot were fourteen that our story begins to go south,

Gotham High was nothing short of a bull pen. Alyssa imagined that they were being prepared for the harsh realities of the city they were living in – where you could look up assassins in the phone book – but that didn't mean she had to like it. The principal didn't even give her detention for her pranks!

"If I can keep the boys from dealing drugs, and the girls off the pole, I get a bonus." he had said.

Alyssa had to up her game, but even childish crime didn't come cheap. She needed money.

And therein lied her brilliant idea.

The boys both said she was nuts, but even they had to admit it was a pretty good idea, and they found themselves being pulled into it.

The bottles Alyssa had picked up at the bars up and down the street rattled as she pulled her wagon behind her. The recycling plant paid a nickle for each one; add that up with all the places throwing them away in Gotham and it wasn't a bad sum. Edward did the math and said they could make over a hundred dollars within a week!

"Hey girl! What are you doin'?"

Alyssa jumped, dropping the lid of the dumpster she had been holding up. The hard plastic banged into her head, making her wince. She straightened to look at the wide built man in a suit that looked to be in his early twenties.

"Who are you?" He demanded. clearly surprised to find a teenager in a dumpster.

"I'm Alyssa Connors, who the hell are you?"

"Butch Gilzean. What are you doin' kid?" he gave her the look any adult will give a misbehaving child.

Alyssa gestured to the wagon off to the side of the dumpster. "Bottles. Recycling center pays a nickle a piece for 'em."

"That right?" Butch raised an eyebrow.

"Yup. New bar just opened around here, so this thing is full of 'em." she said with the best innocent smile she could muster. The man looked fancy enough that he might write her off as a street kid, but he had been talking to her too long for that...

But he chuckled. "That ain't bad kid."

"Thank you."

"You know as it happens, I help run the place that just opened. You wanna come inside?"

"I can't drink." Alyssa frowned.

"I figured that, but I thought you might wanna clean up."

Alyssa looked down at herself, a day of dumpster diving had indeed ruined her outfit, but she hesitated. "I-I probably shouldn't..."

"I insist."

She gulped.

The recently opened bar smelled horrible and did not have a very distinguished clientele. Though to be fair, the place had been open for about a few weeks.

Alyssa had met a few of the bartenders she got bottles from, but the woman Butch took her to meet was hardly run-of-the-mill.

"So you're the bottle girl I've been hearing about."

"Alyssa Connors mam." she looked everywhere but at the woman.

"Look me in the eye when I'm talkin' to you girl."

Jumping slightly, Alyssa did as told. She wasn't stupid, this woman was clearly not one to be offended. She was starting to worry she had stumbled across a front for the Gotham mob world...

"But where are my manners?" the woman smiled, the hostility in her voice suddenly gone. "I'm Fish Mooney. I run the place."

"P-pleasure to meet you."

"So I heard you and your friends have been gathering bottles from all the local bars. You've become the recycling plant's best customers."

"Its a living, mam."

"Oh, hardly a good one. You looked like a common street kid when you came in here. And I get the feeling that's not what you are, is it?"

"No mam."

"Hmmm." Fish smirked and sipped from the glass in her hand. "I'll tell you what girl, I'll start setting the bottles aside for you. You come by every Friday, and you won't have to dig through anymore dumpsters."

"...W-with respect, Ms. Mooney...you don't seem the type to do something like that for nothing." Alyssa said carefully, not wanting to set her off. But this was Gotham, no one did anything out of the good of their hearts, it was better to know what she was getting into.

But Fish only chuckled. "I like you girl, you're clever. And its always good to have friends in this city, wouldn't you say? If not friends...allies."

Alyssa gulped. "Of course."


	12. Hearts

When principal Johnson had said he expected great things from her, Alyssa was certain working with mobsters wasn't what he'd had in mind.

But that was certainly the way things were going. It had started out simple; Fish asking for her input on something when she came to pick up the bottles on Friday. In time it turned into having some of her boys teach her to fight – protection she had said, but Alyssa wasn't so sure.

It didn't help that high school was going south fast. Alyssa had grown dependent on Edward to help her pass all of her classes, but junior year that was put aside for his first crush.

Now, Alyssa wanted to say she was happy at the idea of her best friend liking someone, but this girl – Mary-Alice Thomas – was track jock who didn't know he existed. Even when she did, she didn't return his affections.

But every now and then she'd smile at him or tell one of the football players to stop making fun of him, and Alyssa would have to listen to a long and happy rant about how there was 'hope.'

Being his social crutch, Edward came to Alyssa for advice on how to win her heart. Wanting nothing more than to keep the smile on the boy's face, Alyssa offered every idea that came to her head; flowers, poems, secret admire notes. Nothing worked. To her credit, Mary-Alice tried to let him down easy, but perhaps she was a little too easy.

Oswald though the crush was adorable, and loved teasing Edward about it. Going to a different school, he had never met the girl however. But he took pride in knowing Alyssa, which was why he'd pulled her aside one day with a worried expression.

"Alyssa, what's wrong? You've been off the last few days."

"Have I? Hadn't noticed." she hadn't, but she did notice the slight edge to her tone now.

"You have. Ed was just talking about Mary-Alice, and you looked like you were ready to hit something."

Alyssa frowned. "Why would I do that? I think its sweet that Eddie has a crush."

"Yeah, but everytime he mentions her you – oh..." Oswald's eyes went wide in realization.

"Oh? Oh what?"

"Oh my god, you _like_ him!" the freckled boy grinned.

"What?" Alyssa's voice squeaked in surprise. "No I don't!"

"It all make sense now, how upset you look when he talks about her, how you try to convince him she's not the right girl for him –"

"Ozzy, shut up." Alyssa said, putting her head in her hands. Everything he was saying made perfect sense, but she had never realized. It was like someone had flipped a switch, suddenly all she could think about was Edward. His grin when she answered one of his riddles, his flustered look when he spouted facts in place of not knowing what to say, his laughter when she stole his glasses and made fun of his poor eye sight...

Oh crud...

"Watch where you're going, creep!"

Alyssa stumbled as she was shoved into the hard metal of the bleachers she had been pacing up and down. She glanced at Edward, but he was too busy ogling Mary-Alice.

"Excuse you, but you were the one that shoved her." Oswald said, setting his homework aside to stand. The jocks were much bigger than him, but he matched there height by standing on the bleachers.

"Ooo, lookie here, the druggies got herself a boyfriend!"

Alyssa's jaw tightened. The kids at school called her plenty of things, but the only things that ever hurt were when they referenced her family, who everyone knew had been in the drug business.

"Yeah Jack, think she could hook us up?"

"Oh, I'm sure her daddy left a whole stock behind, but she probably used it herself by now!"

The worst part was that all of this had drawn Edward's attention. But he stayed silent, looking at his hands in his lap.

This was what caused Alyssa's anger to snap. She threw a hard right hook that gave Jake a bloody nose. Oswald leaped on the other guy's back, trying to bring him down, but he was too small to do so.

The next thing she knew, all five of them were in the principal's office.

"The chick's crazy! She probably got nutty from her high!"

That was all Alyssa remembered from the conversation. The principal could only punish her and Edward, but he did make a call to Oswald's mother.

"Alyssa, why would you do something like that?" Edward demanded once the three of them were set free.

"What are you talking about? You heard what he said!"

"And that gives you the right to attack him?!"

"Yes!" Alyssa snapped. "And while we're on the topic, why didn't you do anything?"

"I didn't want to get into trouble! But once again, your antics have landed me in detention!" he waved the pink slip in his hand.

"My _antics_?"

"E-easy you two..." Oswald came between them. The last thing he wanted was for his friends to fight.

But Alyssa was far from done.

Her angry look faded, but she still glared at her best friend. "You know what Ed? You're not a good friend."

Edward's face fell. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how nowadays, you're always blowing me off to stalk Mary-Alice! Or how I can barely get a word in because you're always talking about how perfect she is! Or how about what those idiots were saying? You didn't even try to disagree with them!"

"Alyssa, how can I disagree with what they said, if there's a chance what they said might be true?"

" _Excuse me?!_ "

"Well you have been off these past few months, you've been going places you won't tell me about, and sleeping at odd hours –"

Edward was cut off with a sharp slap to his cheek that knocked his glasses loose.

There had to be a much better way to deal with an emotional sixteen year old girl, but Edward didn't know what it was.

And for the first time in his life, he didn't care to find out the most logical way to do something. He just wanted Alyssa to open her bedroom door.

"Edward?" His mother came up being him. "Is everything alright?"

He sighed. "Alyssa's mad at me."

"What happened?"

"These boys at school were making fun of her. We got into trouble when she and Oswald attacked them."

"Are you hurt?" Ms. Nygma laid a hand on her son's cheek.

"I'm fine." Edward frowned. "But Alyssa got upset with me for not defending her. She called me a bad friend."

"You know I can hear you!" The girl in question shouted from her room.

"Alyssa Connors, you come out of that room this instant!" Ms. Nygma ordered.

"Fine..."

When she had both of them in the living room, Ms. Nygma did what a mother does best; play peace maker with her kids.

"Now why don't you tell me why your so mad at Edward?"

"Because all he cares about is his stupid crush."

"Mary-Alice is a wonderful girl!" Edward exclaimed. "Mary-Alice barley knows you exist!"

"Who's Mary-Alice?" Ms. Nygma asked. That was when both of them realized they had never told her.

"She's the most amazing girl to ever walk the face of the earth." Edward said with a dazed look.

"She's a tramp!"

"Alyssa!"

"I'm sorry, I can't do it anymore!" Alyssa exclaimed, standing. "Mary-Alice doesn't like you, she's never going to like you, and frankly, I don't like what this crush has done to you! You can't go five minutes without bringing her up!"

"Well you can't go five minutes without trying to talk me out of liking her!" Edward snapped, standing and towering over her with his height. "I can hardly enjoy having a crush, because of what it's doing to _you_!"

" _Because it's killing me!_ "

Edward's face fell. "What?"

"You're going after this girl and you're gonna get your heart broken! And that is the _last_ thing I want to happen. And yeah, I guess I got mad when she was suddenly more important to you than me, but I'm your _best friend_! You're not supposed to just forget about me!"

"And you're not supposed to shut me out!"

Alyssa hesitated a moment, then held out a hand. "Truce?"

"...Truce." Edward nodded, shaking her hand. "Alyssa, I'm sorry for assuming. But you can't fool your best friend, I can tell something's wrong with you."

Alyssa bit her lip. "I can handle it."

"Alright." he looked down. "But if you ever need my help –"

"I know." she nodded, looking between mother and son. "You two have always been there for me. And you know, I don't think I've ever said thank you for that. So thank you."


	13. Mistakes

When Edward came into her room that night, Alyssa was leaning against the wall by the window drawing in the sketchbook he had gotten her.

"Hey." he sat next to her.

"Hi." she didn't look up from her drawing.

"I-I just wanted to make sure we were okay. That we're still friends."

"Yeah, best friends for life, you know that."

"Good. Because although Mary-Alice is beautiful, she is by no means worth loosing you. You're the only person who's ever been there for me, and I hope you know that I trust you with my life, and I'd never want you upset with me –"

"Ed."

"Yes?"

"Babbling."

"Right. Sorry."

"Its okay." Alyssa set her sketchbook aside and took his hand. "It was your first crush, that's a big deal, and I love that I was the first person you told. Whatever happens to you, I always wanna be _part_ of what happens to you."

"You always will be." Edward said instantly.

"Good." she smiled at him. "Just don't go too crazy over a girl alright? It interferes with my plans for you."

"Plans?" Edward raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly.

"Yeah, you're gonna do something impressive that makes you rich, and I'm gonna live in your mansion until you get sick of me."

"I will never get sick of you." he chuckled.

"Then I am set for life."

Edward shook his head. "Don't sell yourself short Alyssa. I've yet to see you fail at anything you've set your mind to. Perhaps it'll be me living in your mansion."

"Nah, I don't see myself in a mansion." she closed her eyes. "I always pictured an old brick house with ivy growing up the walls. There'd be a porch swing and one of those obnoxiously long driveways that takes you through the woods..."

"Doesn't sound like Gotham at all."

"No..." soft brown eyes opened. "I suppose not. I've never really liked Gotham anyway."

"Oh?"

"Well other than you and Ozzy, its kinda lacking in good people. I always wanted to find some small town where you could trust the people you met on the streets. Where they run and catch fireflies at night instead of staying inside to hide from muggers. More...peaceful."

"...Sounds rather nice."

"Doesn't it?" Alyssa smiled. "I used to think that, first chance I got I was getting out of this city. 'Course that was before I met you, came to live here...But I do still think about it from time to time."

 _(3 months later)_

"Alyssa darling!"

Alyssa fought the urge to cringe. "Hello Ms. Mooney."

"Now girl, I've told you before, call me Fish."

"I think I'd like to stick with Ms. Mooney, if that's alright."

She laughed. "You always were an odd one."

Giving the woman a tight smile, Alyssa headed towards where the bottles were waiting for her.

"Now hold on just a minute." Fish stopped her. "I want to talk with you darling."

"...About what?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to move up from collecting bottles. A position here at the bar has recently opened."

"I-I'm too young to be working in a bar, Ms. Mooney."

She smirked. "That's not quite what I had in mind."

A gun clicked behind her, and Alyssa froze, not daring to turn around.

"Now darling, I'm going to give you a choice. Either Fredrick here shoots you, or you come to work for me."

"...What kind of work?" Alyssa said softly.

"Oh, you're a clever girl. I think you've got that figured out by now." Fish chuckled. "No one ever suspects a sweet little girl. I could use someone like that."

"And if I just run?"

"Now darling, we both know you're not stupid enough to try that. So what's it going to be?"


	14. Charms And Guns

"Happy birthday!"

The teenage boys grinned as Oswald set a small, wrapped box on the beside table.

"What are you idiots doing here so early?" Alyssa groaned.

"Its noon." Oswald informed.

"Is it?" she lifted her head to read the clock.

Edward frowned. Alyssa had been sleeping at odd hours quite a lot lately. She seemed nervous and disoriented, and it was beginning to worry him.

He brushed the thoughts off. It was her birthday, it was a day of celebration.

"Oswald and I pooled our money together to get you something." Edward smiled.

"You didn't have to do that." Alyssa said, sitting up.

"We know, But we wanted to."

"Open it!" Oswald said excitedly.

Grabbing the box, she pulled at the ribbon and tore off the paper. Sitting comfortably inside a little white box was a silver charm bracelet with two charms: a dove and a question mark.

"We figured you could add to it as time goes on." Edward said. "Keep the memory of what's important close to you..."

"Thank you." she smiled. "That's really sweet you guys."

Working for Fish Mooney kept odd hours, sometimes Fish couldn't ask her to come in for weeks.

It was just Alyssa's luck that she had to come in on her birthday.

"Connors?"

She looked up. "Detective Bullock. How's it hanging?"

"You two know each other?" Butch looked between them.

"This one's been dropping by the prenict a little too much." Harvey informed.

"You'd miss me if I stayed away." Alyssa grinned.

Since her parent's case, she had developed quite the odd relationship with the detective. Spend five minutes with them and you'd assume they hated each other, but take a closer look and you could see the friendship – hear the almost fatherly tone to the Irish man's voice.

"Tell Fish I'm here, would you?" Harvey asked Butch, who nodded and went to retrieve the boss. "Yo Connors, catch."

Alyssa jumped and fumbled to catch the small plastic bag thrown at her. She looked down at it to see a small police badge charm.

"Your boys told me what they had planned. Figure I'm important enough to be represented too."

She smiled. "Aww, you do care."

He rolled his eyes. "Happy birthday kid."

"I didn't know it was your birthday Alyssa." they both turned as Fish entered the room. "How old are you dear?"

"Seventeen."

"Aw, they grow up so fast, don't they Harvey?"

"Ah, she's annoying now as she was when she was a sprite."

"Love you too!" Alyssa chuckled. She still didn't feel comfortable around Fish, but Harvey contradicted that, making for an interesting internal battle.

Fish chuckled. "Why don't you and I do business in the back while Butch takes Alyssa out for her training?"

Alyssa shifted slightly, but still followed Butch out to the alley. Despite being Fish's right hand man, Butch was nicer to her than any of the other men. 'Training' with him usually consisted of learning how to fight, how to spot weakness, subtle manipulation, and how to fire a gun. 'Tricks of trade' he always said.

Alyssa had always fired at cans though, which is why she was so put off when they came out to the alley and there was a man who was bound, gagged, and bloody waiting for them.

"Uh...should I ask?" she looked at Butch with wide eyes.

"Boss thought it was time you upgraded from cans."

Alyssa gulped. "No thank you."

"Kid, you knew what you signed up for."

"I was held at gun point." she reminded.

"True." Butch nodded. "But you're in the game now. No turning back." he handed her a gun.

Alyssa's hands shook, making the metal rattle. If she had fired then, she certainly would've missed – and that was saying something at this range.

"I-I don't wanna..."

Butch sighed. "Look, if it was up to me, you wouldn't have to. But Fish has her ways. Don't worry, first one's always the hardest."

The man – who's name Alyssa still didn't know – screamed against his gag and looked at her with pleading eyes.

"No. Nononono..." she shook her head violently.

Butch banged on the steel door behind him, and the sound made Alyssa jump.

 **Bang!**

The man slumped to the floor, blood spilling out a hole in his forehead. The still warm gun clattered to the ground and Alyssa backed up against the way, breathing heavily and looking terrified.

"Easy Alyssa..." Butch pulled her into his side, rubbing her arm.


	15. I'm So Sorry

Alyssa didn't like admitting it, but after about a week, she didn't feel guilty for killing the man in the alley. There simply wasn't time, what with studying, detention, and doing odd jobs for Fish.

She hadn't known the man, so there was really much to feel guilty over. But if she was honest, in the back of her head she could still see his pleading eyes everytime she saw one of the boys pull a gun on something.

Butch was helpful, he never said anything, but he'd give her sympathetic looks and even snuck her a shot of liquor to 'help calm her nerves.' It tasted gross, but to be fair, it worked.

It also helped to focus on something else, and her growing feelings for a certain poindexter were begging for her attention.

Alyssa wasn't really sure what to do. She never been good with feelings, of any kind. She preferred to just annoy who she knew wouldn't shot her. And it wasn't like she had anyone she could talk to about this – the only non-mob affiliated adult she knew was Edward's mother!

"You're scrubbin' that wood like you're trying to break it kid."

"Huh?" Alyssa looked up from the bar she was cleaning to see a man she'd never met before. "Oh, sorry. W-what can I do for you?"

The man smiled at her, an actual smile instead of the smirks that gave her the creeps, and held out his hand. "Nicholas Gordon."

"Alyssa Connors." she shook his hand.

"You looked like you have a lot on your mind."

"I was born and raised in this city. Pretty sure that screws a kid up real good."

He chuckled. "Hey now, my son was raised here too."

Alyssa's eyes went wide. "Gordon. You're Jim's dad, he was a few years ahead of me in school before he graduated."

"Did you know him?"

"Not well."

"Shame. He's in the army now actually."

Alyssa had _no_ interest in even holding a gun again, let alone shooting someone with it. But apparently, Fish had other plans.

She wanted Alyssa fully committed to the business. That meant no more school, no more pranks, no more Edward and and Oswald.

 _Weaknesses_. She had called her friends weaknesses, and posed yet another offer; either she break her ties now, or Fish would do it for her.

Which explained why Alyssa wasn't paying much attention to her study session with Edward.

"Alyssa, you need to focus or you won't pass test."

She sighed internally. _I'm so sorry Eddie..._

"Listen Ed, I was thinking, its time we just faced the facts." Alyssa said, setting her textbook aside.

"What do you mean?" he frowned.

"I mean, there's no chance of me going to college. I always said you were the one to do something impressive, I'm just the wacky sidekick."

"A-Alyssa, why would you say something like that?"

"Because we're different!" she stood. "You're college, I'm townie! And it was only a matter of time before that caught up with us!"

"Well fine!" Edward exclaimed, standing as well. "Our friendship never made any sense in the first place!"

"Well better we end it now before it last any longer than it did!" Alyssa stormed out of Edward's room and into her own, slamming the door.

When Edward and his mother woke up the next morning, she was gone.


	16. A Promise

_***4 years later***_

A twenty-one year old Edward Nygma paced his hotel room. He had won the Whippleburn prize, he ought to be happy.

But happiness had grown hard to come by since he lost the person to share it with.

Alyssa Connors. After his argument with her four years ago, his life had gone down hill. Quickly loosing touch with Oswald, he had found himself reverting back to the shy, quiet, bully target he had been before he met her. It was sad, he had progressed so well only to fall back into his shell.

He had mixed feelings for the girl now; anger at abandoning him when she said she never would, guilt at the thought that he had been the one to drive her away. But mostly, there was just loneliness. How was he supposed to live without her when she had made herself such a dependency in his life? It was like someone had cut off one of his limbs and told him to live life unchanged.

A knock on the door made him whirl around. He opened it to find a girl, no older than ten, holding a medium sized box with a basket of muffins balanced atop it.

"You Edward Nygma?"

"Yes. Who are you?"

Ignoring his question, she held the box out to him. "My mom wanted me to drop these off. Congrats on your award."

And she was gone, quick as she'd come.

Curious, Edward shut the door behind her and set the box and basket down. The basket was full of cranberry muffins, his favorite. The box, when opened, contained a fancy tuxedo that was far nicer than the suit he'd been planning to wear to the ceremony. It even had a small green question mark pin on the lapel. Sitting next to it was a coffee mug wrapped in tissue paper with a similar green question mark.

The only note was a riddle. 'You can not see me, and can not keep me until you have given me. What am I?'

The answer was simple. A promise.

But there was more underneath.

'No matter what happens to you, I always wanna be part of what happens to you. You did good Eddie, I'm proud of you.'

Only one person had ever called him Eddie.

******  
 _'The population of street kids has been dwindling for quite a while now, and we finally know why: they've been taken in by a rich philanthropist known to the kids as 'Mama Gotham.'_

 _'Mama lets us sleep in the hotel she owns if we work at one of her restaurants.' says Ryan, age fourteen._

 _The so called 'Mama Gotham' owns four restaurants, two bars, and a hotel throughout the city, all with a staff full of Gotham's street kids. It seems that there is a light in this city after all.'_

Oswald Cobblepot set the paper down as the young boy brought him his coffee. He had been looking through the want adds, desperately needing a job.

"Thank you." he nodded at the boy, who turned to walk off but stopped when the bell above the door jingled.

"Mama!"

"Hello Quincy. Usual please, I'm in a bit of hurry."

Oswald froze. He knew that voice. But it couldn't be...

He turned in his chair. "Alyssa..."

The woman looked up, clearly as surprised as he was. "Ozzy. Long time, no see."


	17. Kitten

_***2 years later***_

"Harvey!" a woman called, climbing the stairs to the detective's desk. She frowned when there was a man much younger than the one she was looking for there. "You're not Harvey. How come you're not Harvey?"

"I'm his partner. James Gordon."

"Oh yeah, I saw you in the papers. Look, I'd love to stay and chat, but the goon at the warehouse told me I'd find Harvey here. You know where he is?"

(across the prenict)

"Selina-"

"Cat." she corrected.

"Cat." the man sighed. "If if you didn't have outstanding warrants, you're twelve. No parents or guardians."

"That's not true, I have a mom."

"Says here she's deceased." he looked at the clipboard.

"That's not what I'm talking about!"

"Selina!"

The man and the young girl both whirled around.

"Alyssa!" they both ran forward into each other's arms.

"Oh kitten, don't you _ever_ scare me like that again!" Alyssa held her close, "I thought I lost you..."

"Can't get rid of me that easy."

"So this is your daughter?" Jim asked. "I thought she was one of the street kids the snatchers picked up."

"She was." Alyssa sighed. "Selina here's one of my kids. Hi, I didn't exactly introduce myself earlier. I'm Alyssa Connors. The papers like to call me 'Mama Gotham.'"

Jim's eyes widened slightly. "You're the one that's been taking in street kids."

"Yup. And I'm the one that gets them outta trouble with you cops."

"Well good samaritan or not, you're not this girl's legal guardian. So I can't release her to you."

Selina glanced between the adults. "What if I had something you really really wanted? Then could you get me out of here?"

"What are you talking about?" Jim asked.

"I've been watching you." she sat down on the bench. "You're a friend of the boy. And you're not like all the other crooks in this place."

"The boy?" Jim sat next to her. "Bruce?"

"Kitten, what did you do?" Alyssa asked.

"The Mario Pepper guy was a patsy, huh?" Selina said evenly as though she were talking about the weather.

"...What makes you say that?" Jim asked, giving himself away.

"Could you?" Selina asked. "Could you get me out? I've got a shift at Alyssa's restaurant in the morning."

"Its possible."

"I saw who really killed the Waynes." she revealed to the adults. "Saw him clear as day."


	18. Smallville

**A/N: This is a flashback chapter, touching a bit on what Alyssa got up to once she ran away from the Nygma residence.**

 ***6 years ago***

 _"911, what is your emergency?"_

 _"There's a girl washed up on the banks of the river, I don't think she's breathing!"_

 _"Calm down sir, listen carefully and I'll instruct you how to preform CPR."_

 _"Where am I?" Alyssa asked, trying to sit up, only to cry out in pain._

 _"Hey, hey, easy." a boy who appeared to be a few years older than her – but was completely bald – gently pushed her back down. "You're in a hospital in Metropolis. You're pretty badly beaten up."_

 _"Yeah that'll happen..."_

 _The boy frowned. "I found you unconscious on the banks of the river. You had four broken bones, a punctured lung, and you were half dead from blood loss. How does that just happen?"_

 _"Let's just say I angered some very mean people." she smiled sarcastically. "Now do I get to know the name of my rescuer?"_

 _"Lex. Lex Luthor."_

 _"Alyssa Connors."_

 _Lex Luthor, though rude and slightly nobbish, was far better company compared to his father._

 _When Lionel had discovered where he son had been going for the last three weeks that Alyssa had been in a coma, he'd 'kindly' offered to help her. Thankfully, Alyssa had spent enough time with mobsters to understand that the offer wasn't out of the kindness of his heart._

 _With no other options however, she treaded forward carefully. With the Luthor's resources, she was able to discover the off-shore account that her father had put aside. The slimy bastard had been planning to ditch his family with his enemies and debts._

 _But Alyssa didn't tell them that. She said the account was her father's and that he was dead rather than imprisoned. There were times when she had to explain herself, but she kept it to as few details as possible._

 _She was out of the Luthor's penthouse the first chance she got. By then though, she had made a slight friendship with Lex, so she promised to keep in touch on the condition that his father stayed out of it._

 _For the first time in her life, Alyssa Connors was free. There was enough money in the account to take her anywhere – she certainly couldn't go back to Gotham after what Fish had done to her – but she could start a new life._

 _The first thing she did was find the town of her dreams. A quaint little farming town in Kansas called Smallville._

 _It was exactly as she imagined; warm, kind, everyone willing to help each other instead of only looking to help themselves._

 _Still...Alyssa fingered the silver charms on her charm bracelet, which thankfully had survived her ordeal. The city had been cruel to her, but it did have its diamonds in the rough._

 _"So it is true." Alyssa looked up to see a young blonde girl. "When they said there was a new face in Smallville, I had to see for myself. Chloe Sullivan. Nice to meet you."_

 _"Alyssa Connors." she shook her hand, smiling in amusement. The girl was acting like a reporter getting the scoop as she slid into the chair across from her in the coffee shop._

 _"So what brings you to Smallville? We don't get many visitors."_

 _"Well you should, you've got a lovely little town here." Alyssa chuckled. "I always pictured living in a place like this. Peaceful, simple, small town life."_

 _"It gets old fast, trust me."_

 _"Oh, you'd be surprised."_

 _"Chloe!" a dark haired boy ran up to the table. "There you are!"_

 _"Clark, Alyssa Connors, Alyssa, Clark Kent." Chloe introduced._

 _"Good to know ya Clark."_

 _The house wasn't as big as she'd imagined, and there wasn't any ivy climbing up the walls, but that was okay._

 _She got plenty of visitors, as everyone worried over the young girl living on her own. Alyssa adored the small town, but she had to admit she was running out of things to do._

 _And everyday, she found herself staring more and more at her charm bracelet. She wondered if Edward had thrown himself back into the studies she always had to drag him out of. If Oswald was still having trouble with bullies. If Harvey even remembered the way to his favorite bakery, as Alyssa had gotten into the habit of always picking up danishes there for him. July was fast approaching, and for the first time she wouldn't be there to meet Jerome._

 _When she thought of things like that, all alone in her big empty house, she felt horrible. She had broken all her promises, left all her friends to wonder what had happened to her. It wasn't like she had a choice; if she went back to Gotham Fish would get word in no time at all that she was alive._

 _And that would be very bad. Alyssa had worked hard to keep the people she loved safe; she was lucky Fish had gone after her instead of them._

 _But could she really be blamed? Alyssa would admit that she wasn't a good person – she had killed plenty of other people since the man in the alley – but shooting a child?_

 _Even she had her limits._


	19. Selina Kyle

Normally, Alyssa let the kids in her charge have free range. As long as they showed up for their shifts, they got hot food and a warm bed.

She did keep an eye on some of the younger ones, had classes to teach them basic survival skills and there was even a school for those who wanted to go. Apparently, Gotham public school didn't take in kids with no legal guardians.

Which Alyssa wasn't – you couldn't be the legal guardian of over 200 kids. Still, with a favor here and a well placed bribe there, she got the permits to call it charity, which meant the law couldn't touch her.

Usually the only one bothered by this was Mayor James; he thought street kids were good-for-nothing riffraff that should be sent on a one-way trip upstate.

But now Alyssa had Jim Gordon on her case. While the 'boyscout' as she had dubbed him respected what she was doing, he didn't like the shady way she was doing it.

And there was also the matter of Selina being a witness to the Wayne murders. It was no question among the children that Selina was Alyssa's favorite. She had been the first one Alyssa had taken in at the age on nine. Instead of a hotel room, she had her own room in Alyssa's apartment.

What she was truly proud of however, was her charm on Alyssa's bracelet.

The charm bracelet was one of the first stories Alyssa had ever told her, and Selina adored it. She liked the idea of being so important to someone that they wanted a reminder of her with them always.

Selina had met every person behind the charms except Edward – at least not properly. The delivery could hardly be called a meeting, she had sat down and talked with everyone else.

And Alyssa seemed to have special feelings for this Edward. Which is why Selina had made it her mission to track him down.

"Boo."

Harvey jumped. "Kid, don't _ever_ do that again."

Selina chuckled. "You've been saying that since I was ten." she stepped around his desk. "Mom said detective Gordon wanted to see me?"

"He's down in forensics, third door on the right." Harvey waved her off.

"Thanks uncle Harvey."

"Quit calling me that!"

Since Alyssa or Harvey usually got her out of trouble when every she was brought into the precinct, Selina had never been into the building's basement.

It was dark, and way too quiet for comfort. She was used to the busy streets or the buzz of the flee. This place was just creepy.

"Who are you?"

Selina jumped and whirled around, punch ready, but relaxed when she saw a man in lab coat and glasses.

"Now I know why people hate it when I do that."

"You're not supposed to be down here."

"Don't tell me where I'm not supposed to be. I'm looking for detective James Gordon. Harvey said he was down here."

"The more you take, the more you leave behind."

"Footsteps." Selina said automatically. Riddles were Alyssa's favorite way of keeping the children's minds sharp.

Looking surprised, the man nodded. "Correct. And you've taken too many of them. Detective Gordon is down in the medical examiner's office, its back that way." he pointed back the way she'd came.

"Thanks." she nodded.

"You never answered my question." he said, stopping her when she turned to walk away. "Who are you?"

"Selina Kyle." she said with a slightly annoyed expression. "People call me Cat." she turned back around.

"Edward Nygma."

Selina turned so quickly it made her dizzy. "What did you just say?"

"My name. Edward Nygma." he said, confused as to why that had gotten such a reaction out of her.

"You're Edward Nygma?"

"Yes." he nodded.

Selina laughed. "I didn't think you'd still be in Gotham. Finding you was easier than I thought."

"I'm sorry, do we know each other?"

"No. But you know my mom."

"Your mom?"

"Alyssa Connors."


	20. Keeping Your Word

***Kansas City, Five Years Ago***

 _Alyssa knocked repeatedly on the trailer door._

 _"I'm coming, I'm coming." a familiar voice called._

 _The rusty door swung open and green eyes widened when he saw who was on the other side._

 _"Hiya J." Alyssa grinned._

 _"Alyssa...What are you doing here?"_

 _"Well, there were some...conflicts, that kept me out of Gotham when the circus came to town. But, I couldn't just leave you hanging, so I found out you were coming to Kansas, and well, here I am."_

 _The seventeen year old stumbled back as Jerome threw his arms around her._

 _"I-I didn't think I'd see you again...I thought you forgot about me..."_

 _"Aw J, I could never forget you. You're my star, remember?"_

 _Jerome smiled and held her tighter. She always called him that, ever since they had snuck into the main tent after dark and he had put on a show with her as his audience. She had said that one day he was gonna be a star, and the name stuck._

 _"Actually..." Alyssa pulled back slightly to look at him. "I got that house I told you about."_

 _"You're living on your own?" he frowned slightly, doing the math in his head. No, she was still seventeen, which made her a minor, Minors couldn't live on their own, he'd checked._

 _But Alyssa nodded. "Yeah, but you know, big house, gets lonely sometimes. But I remember promising you a room there."_

 _Jerome's eyes lit up. "You mean it?"_

 _"A promise is a promise, J."_

 ***Gotham City, Now***

"You did _what?!_ "

"I found Edward Nygma." Selina said with a smile. "He's coming over for dinner tonight."

"S-Selina-"

"I saw you, Alyssa." she cut her off. "I saw how much you cared about him."

"I don't know what you're talking about..."

Selina sighed. "For as long as I've known you, you always put everyone else first. _Your_ turn."

Alyssa paced the apartment. Why was she so worried? This was her best friend, the man she knew like the back of her hand!

The man she had never been able to shake her feelings for, even when she hadn't seen him for six years. The man had pushed away to protect, the man who probably thought she had abandoned her...

Well there was no way this was going to end well.

A knock at the door made her whirl around. Here goes nothing...

Alyssa opened the door. The man before her was taller and certainly older, but he was unmistakably Edward Nygma.

And he looked even cuter than when she'd left. Damn him.

"...Hi." she said lamely. Come on! Where was the fierce Mama Gotham that wrangled rowdy teenagers for a living! She wasn't afraid of anything, why was she afraid of him?!

Oh yeah...

"Hello Ms. Connors."

Alyssa frowned. He hadn't called her 'Ms. Connors' since they were twelve.

"Please, come in." she stepped aside. "I-I made parmesan chicken. That's still your favorite, isn't it?"

Edward nodded, surprised she remembered. "Yes."

They ate in very awkward silence until Edward finally broke it, dropping his fork onto his plate with a clatter.

"Alright, I'm just going to say it; Why did you leave?"

Alyssa bit her lip. "Ed-"

"We were happy. We were a family. And you just left!" he exclaimed before sighing. "Just...please, tell me what I did wrong."

"No. No, you never did anything." she shook her head. "It was all on me."

"What do you mean?" he frowned.

"...Do you remember how we used to gather bottles from all over the city and sell them to the recycling plant?" he nodded. "Well, one day when I was out, one of the people running the bar found me in the alley. And, he let me come inside, clean myself up. But then he wanted me to meet his boss. Fish Mooney."

Edward's jaw slacked and his anger dissipated. He knew all too well who Fish Mooney was, and how dangerous she was.

"She uh, she was nice for a while. Acted like she was my friend, but you know, I could always tell she had an ulterior motive." Alyssa looked down. It was hard to re-visit these memories, but she owed Edward an explanation. "When we were sixteen...one of her boys held a gun to my back and she offered me a choice; work for her, or he pulled the trigger."

"So that's why you were always sneaking out." Edward realized. "You were going to work for Fish..."

"Mmhm." Alyssa nodded. "It wasn't anything bad, at least, not at first...But uh, eventually she wanted me to be more dedicated. She didn't want me to have any 'distractions.'" she spat the word angrily. "So it was either never speak to you and Oswald again...or she'd her men after you." she looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "I-I didn't want you to get hurt, Eddie, I'm sorry..."

"...Alyssa..." he shook his head and stood to pull her into his arms. They both sunk to the floor, tears pouring from Alyssa's eyes as she finally stopped ignoring what she had been through.

"I-It was fine for a while...But when I messed up on a job, she got really mad. One of her goons beat me within an inch of my life and threw me on a shipping truck. I woke up in a hospital Metropolis three weeks later..."

"Alyssa, I'm so sorry. I should've known something was wrong with you, I should have protected you!"

"Its okay, Eddie. Its my job to protect you, remember?"

Edward held her close, and Alyssa reveled in his warmth. She wasn't sure how the hell he could still make her feel like this, but at the moment she didn't care.

"Well I'm here now. And I'm not going anywhere."

"No." she pushed him away reluctantly. "Eddie, Selina inviting you here was a mistake. I left because I wasn't good for you anymore."

"Only I decide that." Edward declared. "I promised you that I would always be there for you. And I'm nothing if not a man of my word."


	21. Arkham

***Two years ago***

 _The two well-dressed people looked very out of place in the Flee, but they walked to the middle of the room with confidence._

 _"We're looking for 'Mama Gotham.'" the man called out, gaining the attention of every child around them. "We have a business proposition for her."_

 _"Martha and Thomas Wayne." a voice laughed from the balcony above them. "I'll be damned. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Alyssa asked as she walked down the stairs._

 _"As my husband said, we have a business proposition for you." Martha said. "Is there some place private we can talk?"_

 _"Stupidest idea you've ever had."_

 _"Alyssa-"_

 _"Ozzy this is Fish Mooney we're talking about." she stressed. "You go to work for her, she'll find every single weak spot you have and use it against you. Not to mention the fact that she still thinks I'm dead. I'd prefer to keep it that way."_

 _"You won't have to go anywhere near her. Its a way to take her down, don't you want that?"_

 _"If you do then what?" Alyssa challenged. "The whole city'll be in anarchy!"_

 _"You underestimate me, my dove." Oswald smirked. "With Fish, Falcone, and Maroni out of the way, the city will need a new king."_

 _"...So that it then? Its all a plan to put you ontop?"_

 _"Well yes. But every good leader needs a good number two."_

 _Alyssa blinked. "Me?"_

 _"There's no one better suited for the job. And I trust you with my life."_

 ***Now***

 _Knock knock knock._

Alyssa opened her apartment door, her eyes widening when she saw who was on the other side.

"Hi Alyssa." Oswald smiled. "I'm alive."

 _Smack!_

"Missed you too." he said sarcastically, rubbing his cheek.

" _That's_ for making me think you were dead!" Alyssa snapped.

"Okay, I probably deserve that-" _Smack!_

"And _that's_ for making me deal with your mother."

"My mother adores you." Oswald frowned.

Alyssa scoffed. "Not when she thinks you've been seduced by some hussie! She started blaming me for introducing you to girls! I mean I love the woman, but she drives me nuts." she sighed. "Come on in."

She stepped aside and let Oswald walk - well, hobble really - in.

"What happened to you?"

"Fish happened. She's every bit the woman you said she was."

"I did warn you. Why come back then?"

"The same reason as you, Gotham is my home."

Alyssa looked down. That was not really the reason she'd returned to Gotham, but she let Oswald continue.

"The Wayne's plan for Arkham City is moving forward. They had wanted you to have a part in it, didn't they?"

"Yeah, they were going to give me a share of the land for the kids. I had plans for houses, a school..." Alyssa sat next to him on her couch. "Now I'm just waiting for the call to see if Mayor James is going to follow through on that part of their plan."

 _Ring ring!_

"'Ello?" Alyssa held the phone to her ear.

"Ms. Connors?"

"Brucie! What can I do for you?"

In her dealings with the Waynes, she had been over to their house a few times, and met their butler and son. Both seemed like lovely people, but she hadn't actually gotten to know either.

"I was wondering if you could come by the manor. I wanted to talk to you about my parent's plan for Arkham."

"Oh. Yeah, I can come over, how's noon tomorrow? You can get Alfred to make those peanut butter cookies of his." Alyssa joked, earning a laugh from the boy.

"Mom always has him make them when you're coming over."

"Good. I'll see you then."

"Mayor Jame's hates me." Alyssa informed, taking a bite of the cookie in her hand. "Even if he's following your parent's plan, no doubt he's planning to cut me out of it entirely."

"But you were going to build a safe haven for those kids." Bruce frowned.

"Ah, James' doesn't see it that way. When the kids got snatched, he tried to send them all to an Juvenal Corrections facility upstate. He doesn't really support the whole 'Mama Gotham' thing."

Bruce looked down a moment. "...Can I ask you something personal?"

Alyssa looked at him in slight surprise. "Depends on what it is."

"My father told me once that you had a house in a small town in Kansas."

"That's right."

"Then why did you return to Gotham?"

Alyssa chewed her lip. "Its a long story..."

"I-I don't mean to pry..."

"No, its alright." she shook her head. "Uh, there's this friend of mine, a few years younger than me. His mom didn't treat him well, so I offered to let him live with me. But we got into trouble, because I wasn't his legal guardian. They gave him back to his mom, but I promised I'd come for him." she sighed. "So, I had to find a way to make money and a stable household, that way I'd be able to fight for custody. And Gotham is nothing if not a city of opportunity."

"...And have you gotten him back?" Bruce asked when he finally found his voice.

"No." Alyssa shook her head. "He and his mom live with a traveling circus, so its not exactly easy to plan court hearings..."

"I'm sorry." he looked down. "What's his name? The boy?"

"Jerome. His name's Jerome Valeska."


	22. Stars

***Twelve years ago***

 _When the month ended, Haly's Circus packed up to move to the next city. Alyssa had been there to see them off, waving and chasing the trailers for as long as she could._

 _She had promised Jerome that they'd see each other again when the circus came back to Gotham. Jerome had believed her, and it was the only thing that kept him going the rest of the year._

 _Come the following April, when the circus passed through Kansas City, his mom met with the same man she always did - the man with the snake tattoo._

 _It shouldn't have bothered him. He ought to be used to it by now. But the way they made beating him into a game..._

 _He'd run from the trailer the first chance he got, curling in on himself and crying. He wanted to get out of here, he wanted Alyssa. She cared about him, she protected him, she always did._

 _Sniffing slightly, Jerome reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out the small snow globe Alyssa had bought for him. It was barely bigger than his hand, with a smooth silver base, and the scene in the dome was a miniature version of Gotham City. Usually looking at it brought him comfort, but now it only made him cry all the more._

 _"Why are you crying Jerome?" Mr. Cicero, the blind fortune teller asked, coming up to him. Jerome had never understood why the blind man seemed to see everything, Alyssa had found him slightly creepy and had always pulled him closer to her side when he was around._

 _"Its my birthday." he sniffed. "And my mom and the snake guy are beating me."_

 _If a blind man's gaze could harden, Jerome was sure it would have then. "This world doesn't care about you or anyone else, Jerome. Better to realize that now."_

 _"N-no, that-that's not true." he shook his head. "Alyssa, the girl from Gotham, she cares about me."_

 _Mr. Cicero scoffed. "You really think that girl is waiting for you to return? You were just an idle distraction, my boy. I doubt she even remembers your name."_

 _"You're wrong!" he snapped, standing with a jolt. "She does care about me, she does!" he shouted._

 _She had to..._

 _ ***The following July***_

 _When Haly's Circus finally returned to Gotham, Jerome was scolded nearly all day for being so distracted while they set up. But he barely noticed; he was waiting for opening night. Alyssa would be there, of course she would, she promised._

 _He waited at the picnic tables for what seemed like hours. Really it was only about ten minutes._

 _"J!" his head snapped up when he heard the nickname. "There you are! I-oof!"_

 _Jerome had cut her off when he flung himself at her, wrapping his arms around her as tightly as he could._

 _"Missed you too, kid." she chuckled, running her fingers through his hair._

 _"You came. I-I didn't think you'd come to see me again..." he muttered, admitting the fear that had been gnawing at him for months._

 _"Well you're a dummy." Alyssa smiled. "A promise is a promise, Jerome."_

 _She pulled away and they sat down at the table. Jerome wasn't sure what he was feeling - everything was mess. She'd come, just like she said she would, just like he had believed she would, but if he was honest with himself he didn't know why she had._

 _"Why did you come back?" he asked in a small voice. "I-it can't just be the promise you made."_

 _Alyssa sighed and leaned back against the table. "You see all those stars up there, J?"_

 _Jerome looked up. As always, Gotham was cloudy, but there were spaces in between the cloud cover that revealed the twinkling stars._

 _"According to my science teacher, they're all_ ** _billions_** _of miles away. And thinking about that makes me feel really small." she looked over at him. "But then I think about you. The one star that I get to see up close. And when I'm with you, I don't feel that small." she shrugged. "That's why I came back."_

 _"You think I'm a star?"_

 _"Are you kidding? You're the most talented person I've ever seen! If you're this good now, I can only imagine how amazing you'll be when you get older. You're gonna take the world by storm kid."_

 _Jerome beamed and hugged her tightly, having no other way of expressing how grateful he was that she believed in him._

 ***Now***

"What's harder to catch the faster you run?"

"Your breath." Edward answered automatically, turning around. "Alyssa. Lovely to see you."

""And you." Alyssa smiled. "I brought you a present." she held up a small bottle of green liquid.

"Where did you get that?" Edward's eyes widened as he took it from her.

"One of my kids swiped it from someone. Matches the description of the broken bottle you told me about, I figured you might want to test the real thing instead of traces."

"Oh, you are brilliant!" he grinned.

"I know." Alyssa nodded. "Have to be to keep up with you."

Edward beamed and was about to set to work when the door to his office opened.

"Oh." the blonde woman in glasses stood there awkwardly. "I didn't know you were busy, Mr. Nygma."

"Not at all." Edward said quickly, making Alyssa frown. He didn't notice. "What can I do for you, Ms. Kringle?"

"You forgot to sign out the files you took again." she said, looking annoyed. "And you still haven't returned the ones from the last case you worked on."

"Ah! How silly of me! I'll get those for you right away!" he ran to the other side of the room.

Meanwhile, the woman turned to Alyssa.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude. Kristen Kringle." she held out her hand.

"Alyssa Connors." she shook it.

"Here you go!" Edward handed Kristen a pile of files with a wide smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Nygma." she nodded. "It was nice to meet you Ms. Connors." she nodded at Alyssa then left.

Alyssa rounded on her friend. "You never forget _anything_. What's your deal?"

Edward blushed and looked down. "To be completely honest, I just keep the files so she'll have to come get them."

Alyssa blinked and forced a smile on her face. "You _like_ her!"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well, to be fair, you can't fool your best friend." she shrugged, trying to ignore the pain in her chest at the fact that Edward like someone who wasn't her.

"I never could."

Naturally, when he had studied the drug, Alyssa was the first person Edward told. He had always come to her with new information when they were kids; absolutely bubbling at the prospect of something he didn't already know.

By then however, the drug - Viper - had spread widely across the streets. Alyssa had to dodge three power-crazed freaks on her way to Captain Essen's office.

"Its, really quite remarkable." Edward told Essen and the detectives. "Viper - somehow - activates unused DNA. The body starts to burn calcium from the skeletal system as fuel, hence the victims cravings for milk and cheese. They're desperately trying to replace the missing calcium, but they can't consume enough. Essentially, their bones crumble, then they suffocate, and die."

"You seen anything like this before?" Jim asked.

"No. Nobody has. Totally new, I can not tell you, how thrilled I am to be -"

"No new reports for a few hours." Essen cut him off, making both Edward and Alyssa frown. "Maybe their done. Maybe they ran out of the stuff."

"I doubt it." Jim said.

"Who would put this out on the street? Why? They're not even selling it, they're giving it away!"

"That's how you create demand." Harvey informed.

"For a drug that kills you, that fast?"

"Well, first it makes you king of the world." Alyssa shrugged. "They'll be takers."

"We won't have to peel any of your brats off the street, will we?" Harvey said rudely.

"No." Alyssa glared at him. "My kids know to avoid drugs, and they only time they're around alcohol is when they're around you."

"Cute." Harvey rolled his eyes.

"Remind me why I keep letting you in here?" Essen frowned.

"Because I'm the only power in Gotham you can stand?" Alyssa offered.

"Yeah, that's true..." she muttered, nodding.

"This stuff seems hard to make, no?" Alyssa looked to Edward, wanting to loop him back into the conversation.

"Oh, it takes a high level of technical sophistication. A state of the art lab made this stuff." he informed.

"Okay, so who has the biggest and best lab in the city?" Jim asked.

"The best? Is Welzyn."

"But this is not them." Essen shook her head. "They're a sub city area of Wayne Enterprises, a multi-billion dollar corporation. Why would they be doing this?"

"I don't know, but we might as well start at the top."

That was when one of the cops was thrown through the window, making all the people in the room duck.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked Alyssa.

"Yeah." she nodded. "You?"

"Yeah."

They both ran forward to see what had happened; on of the drugged up women was resisting the officers trying to hold her down. She was screaming for them to let go of her when her skin went pale and started sagging. She choked and you could literally hear her bones crumbling inside her before she collapsed.

"Fascinating." Edward stared at the display. "Fascinating."

Alyssa had by no means been friends with Thomas and Martha Wayne, but she liked to think that they had been people she trusted. Which is why the fact that Viper had been something that turned out to be planned by Welzyn did not sit well with her.

There was a knock at the door and Selina went to open it. "Alyssa." she called, eyes widening when she saw the beaten and bruised Oswald Cobblepot.

Alyssa whirled around and huffed. "Ozzy why is it that whenever you come to visit, you're injured?"

"You were always the one who patched me up from bullies when we were kids. Old habitats die hard, I suppose."

She sighed. "Kitten, get the first aid kit please."

Selina nodded and ran from the room.

Alyssa led her friend to the couch. "Alright, what's the story this time?"

"Don Maroni. I told him I used to work for Fish, and he didn't believe me at first."

"But he does now?" she asked, looking over his injuries.

"He brought Jim in to confirm the story."

"Yikes."

"He also mentioned that I should use 'Penguin' as my mob name." Oswald said, knowing Alyssa was the only one who understood what significance that name held for him. "What do you think?"

"Hmm. Turning an insult into a name of power; biggest screw you to bullies I ever heard of."


	23. Don Falcone

The Spirit Of The Goat, oh yes, Alyssa remembered that nightmare.

Harvey didn't speak to her for weeks, Edward had wanted to investigate the case, and Mrs. Kableput had worried over her son like he was the next one on the killer's hit-list – despite the fact that he was targeting the top 1% of the city.

After Dick's accident, Alyssa had been the one to comfort Harvey. The detective was by no means one to cry on someone's shoulder, but he did appreciate the homemade danishes and the girl keeping him from drinking himself to death.

Which was why she was at the precinct with one of said danishes now.

"Ah, ah ah!" she snatched the flask from Harvey before he could drink from it. "Remember our deal: no drinking on duty."

"Kid, I'm havin' a long day." he sighed.

"Yeah, I know. I brought comfort food." she held out the small white box.

"Strawberry danish?"

"Your favorite." Alyssa nodded.

"...Thanks kid." he took the box from her and went for the pastry inside.

"Alyssa." Jim came up the staircase with files in hand. "Nice to see you again."

"Detective." she nodded.

"Look, I don't mean to be rude, but we're really busy –"

"Oh not at all. I just came to make a delivery. Good luck on your case." she smiled and headed down the stairs.

Planning to check in on Edward, Alyssa was certain he'd be happy to have a chance to be involved in the Goat case this time around. But instead she found him in the corner of his office with his knees in his chest, crying.

"Eddie?"

His head snapped up at the sound of his name. "A-Alyssa!" he jumped up and rubbed at his eyes under his glasses.

"Eddie what's wrong?" Alyssa asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"I just walked in on you in a corner crying. Now I may not be as smart as you, but even I know that's a bad sign."

He looked down, pushing his glasses up slightly. "...Do you think I'm odd?"

Alyssa frowned at the question, but answered anyway. "I think you're the smartest person I know, and living in a city made of brutes and idiots does make you the outlier. Why?"

"I tried to improve the filing system in the records annex. I wanted to help Ms. Kringle..." he looked away shyly. "But she got angry with me, and said I was odd."

Alyssa sighed, battling with herself. Part of her wanted to grab the genius and shake him by the shoulders, wanting to know why he was wasting his time with a girl who had no interest in him when she was standing right there. But another part of her just wanted him to smile, to go after his crush in the hopes that she'd realize just how wonderful he was and not break his heart.

The supportive best friend part of her won.

"Ed, the filing thing _is_ a little inappropriate." she informed. "If you want this girl to like you, you need to go smaller. Flowers, maybe a poem?"

"That's brilliant!" He lit up with that stupid smile that made Alyssa's heart flutter. "Thank you, Alyssa! You never fail to have the answers to my social issues.

"What are friends for?"

On her way back to the Flee, Alyssa stopped when she felt a hand grab her arm and a gun press against her back.

"I'm Alyssa Connors, who the hell are you?" she asked politely.

"Name's Nico, sweet cheeks." an accented voice purred in her ear. "My boss would like a word with you. So you get in the car, and we won't have a problem."

"Who's your boss?"

"Don Falcone."

Despite her time working for Fish, and her own rising power in Gotham, Alyssa had never met either of the Dons of the city.

Maroni, from what Oswald had told her, was nothing but a hot head. What she had heard of Falcone however was more...sophisticated. Alyssa supposed it came with his experience, but even she knew that everyone thought he was getting too old for his job

"You know you could've just called." Alyssa said as she was lead into Falcone's office. "I never did like being forced to do things at gun point."

"A simple bit of insurance." the old man said. "I believe a formal introduction is long overdue; I'm Carmine Falcone."

"Yeah, I know. I'd introduced myself, but if you didn't know who I was, I wouldn't be here."

"So you've heard of me then?"

"Of course, you're Don Falcone, you've been Don Falcone since I was a kid. You practically own this city, but you're getting old and other people are getting greedy. You're good, but the ground is shrinking beneath your feet." Alyssa said bluntly. "Is that why I'm here?" she cocked her head to the side.

"Straight to the point I see." he chuckled. "Your reputation precedes you as well; you bought your own corner of the city and had nearly every child off the streets within a week. But the interesting thing is, you don't work for me, and my sources tell me you don't work for Maroni either."

"Nope." Alyssa said, popping the 'p'. "I'm a self-made woman. Well, the start up cash was my dad's, but you get the point."

"Is that so? Well there must be quite a story behind your success."

"So _that's_ it, is it?" she raised an eyebrow. "I'm here to satisfy your curiosity?"

Falcone smiled and raised his hands in surrender. "Humor me."

"Alright." she nodded. "Full disclosure? I was born and raised in this city. But I got my start working for Fish Mooney, a woman who currently thinks I'm dead."


	24. No More Hiding

Alyssa was done hiding. She had called a press conference the following day to reveal the face of 'Mama Gotham.'

But first...

Fish Mooney came into her bar yelling at one of her men, but she stopped when she saw someone sitting in her favorite booth.

"I _love_ what you've done with the place." Alyssa grinned, sipping from the glass of wine in her hand. "Really, you have gone up in the world."

"Who are you, and what are you doing in my bar?" Fish said evenly, but her eyes held barely repressed anger.

"Oh, right sorry." she set her wine down and leaned forward. "It has been a while, hasn't it? Maybe this will refresh your memory." Alyssa cleared her throat and put on an innocent face. "N-No, Ms. Mooney, please, I'll be good." she said in a frightened voice.

"Alyssa Connors."

"How ya doin'?" the fear dropped and was replaced with a smirk.

"You're dead."

"Funny, how people keep coming back from the dead today, isn't it?"

Every gun in the room was pointed at her with a snap of the woman's fingers, but having expected such a thing, Alyssa wasn't fazed.

"Oh, you don't wanna do that." she shook her head.

"And why not?"

"Cuz Don Falcone'll kill you." she said, then shrugged. "But hey, if that doesn't matter to you, I won't stop ya." she picked up her wine and downed the remainder of it.

Fish hesitated, but eventually raised a hand and signaled the men to lower their guns.

"You've met Falcone?"

"Mm, one of his men lead me into a car at gun point. I can see where you get that from." Alyssa pushed herself out of the booth. "The old man was curious about the rising power in Gotham that didn't seem to be under his or Maroni's jurisdiction. And obviously freelancing can only get you so far, so he offered me a place at his table."

"Rising power?" Fish shook her head as she spoke, not wanting to believe it. "You're Mama Gotham."

"Ding!" Alyssa laughed. "So, I just stopped by to say hi, tell you thanks for giving me my start. And I look forward to seeing you at the next family meeting." she smirked as she walked past her. "Give my love to Butch."

"Bullock!"

"Not now!" the detective waved him off. He was still furious with Jim for letting Cobblepot live. Now Fish would be after him, and Alyssa too probably. She didn't know the kid was alive, but she always did have a way of finding the things people cared about.

"Your girl's on the news!"

Wait what?

He came over to the small TV in the precinct to see none other than Alyssa Connors standing in front of city hall with several microphones in her face.

"Am I live?" she asked the person behind the camera, apparently getting a nod as she looked back to the lens. " _Hello_ Gotham City!" she said with a wide flourish. "My name Is Alyssa Connors. You all know me as 'Mama Gotham.'"

Harvey could see the cameras flashing in her face as every reporter jumped to ask her questions.

Son of a...if Fish didn't kill that girl, _he_ would.

Alyssa was whistling to herself as she came home from the press conference. She threw her purse on a table by the door and shrugged off her coat.

"Quite the show." a familiar voice said from the couch as she came into the living room. "But outing yourself to the city like that? You gone crazy kid?"

"Course not." Alyssa poured herself a drink and shrugged. "Maybe a little. Feels good. Liberating."

Butch chuckled. "Did you really think Fish wouldn't track you down?"

"No, I was pretty sure she would. You and Sammy want a drink?" she offered, glancing at the backup in the corner of the room who was keeping a hand on the gun in his belt.

"How are you still alive?" Butch asked, ignoring her question.

"Medical miracle." Alyssa shrugged. "All I remember is Sammy over there cutting me within an inch of my life. Woke up in a hospital in Metropolis three weeks later. I think it was dumping me on that truck that did it, if you had thrown me in the river, I'd have stayed dead." she said to Sammy, who only glared at her. "So thanks for that."

"You were gone for years. This whole 'Mama Gotham' thing only started up a little while ago."

"Ah ah ah!" Alyssa wagged her finger and sipped her drink. "I'm not showing all my cards to you Butch. You'll just play back everything I say to Fish."

"Alright kid, I taught you well." Butch held up his hands in surrender. "Really though, I was just curious. You were a good kid, I was sad to see ya go."

"Sure ya were." she rolled her eyes.

"We're here to take you to a family meeting. Falcone is negotiating with Maroni over Penguin."

It was rather exciting, being in the center of Gotham's mob world and being one of the harder players. Maroni asking questions about her and kissing her hand when he introduced himself made her uncomfortable however. So did standing next to Fish like they were friends.

It was difficult to see Oswald's questioning looks and not be able to explain. Falcone, Fish, and the press conference had all happened so fast she hadn't gotten the chance to tell anyone what she was doing.

It might interfere with his little take over plan, but better to have someone on either side, right?

At the moment, she was more focused on the city Dons.

"Alyssa has her own little corner of the city, her position with me doesn't change that. Its just that now she has the family connections to help her care for those kids. And she does care for her children very much, don't you Alyssa?" Falcone asked her.

"Yes sir." Alyssa nodded. "I've never gotten in anyone's way, and I don't intend to start now." Lie. "As long as no one hurts my kids, we won't have a problem."

Edward was pacing when she came to see him, and Alyssa knew him well enough to know that meant he was worried out of his mind, and for a man who relied on his mind so heavily that was bad.

"What's the matter Eddie?"

Edward whirled around to face her the second he heard his name. "Alyssa, I need you to be honest with me about something."

"Okay." she said instantly.

"Are you affiliated with Gotham's underworld?"

"Ed-"

"I mean I know you worked for Fish years ago, but I saw you on the news earlier, and everyone's been saying you're one of Falcone's higher ups now and I-"

"Ed!"

"Yes?" he looked at her with wide eyes.

"Babbling."

"Right. Sorry." he pushed his glasses up.

"Its okay Eddie." Alyssa sighed. "In answer to your question, yes. Falcone tracked me down before the press conference, but he offered me a place at his table and I accepted."

Edward chocked on his own breath. "Alyssa why would you do that?! By definition, they're the bad guys! They kill people! One of them tried to kill you!"

"Yeah, and if I keep being scared of all that, it'll be the end of me!" Alyssa snapped.

Edward stared at her. "Alyssa...what happened you?"

"...What's that supposed to mean?" she frowned.

"The Alyssa Connors I know was a rebel, but she knew where the line was! This...This isn't you, this _isn't_ my best friend."

Alyssa scoffed. "Sorry to break it to you Eddie, but I'm not a kid anymore. And besides, I did warn you; _you_ were the one that wanted us to be friends again." she said, jabbing a finger at his chest.

"Yes, well I changed my mind." he said, trying to make his voice sound firm, but it still shook considerably. He _hated_ saying this, but it was in his best interest to not be friends with someone that deep in the mob. "I don't want us to be friends."

"Well great! Neither do I!" Alyssa exclaimed before pulling on his collar and bringing her lips to his.


	25. Two Of A Kind

Paint splattered angrily over the canvas, the colors having no real rhyme or reason. They blended together in a bit of a blur, mirroring the inner turmoil of the person holding the brush.

"That's a cool picture." Selina said, leaning on the frame of the open window behind her.

Alyssa huffed and wiped her hands on her smock. "I just, painted what I'm feeling. I do that, you should know that by now."

"Yeah." Selina nodded. "But this one's different from the others I've seen. Still-" she pushed herself off the window. "Its really good. You should send it to a museum."

"You've been saying that since you found out I could draw." she rolled her eyes.

"And I'm gonna keep saying it until you listen." Selina said as-a-matter-of-factly. "So. You gonna tell me what's wrong?"

Alyssa bit her lip. "Where to start? Fish still wants me dead, Ozzy's planning to throw the city into total anarchy just so he can put himself on top, and Mama Gotham is officially the newest member of the Falcone family. So that's fun."

"...That's not what I'm talking about." Selina shook her head, watching the older woman intently.

"Huh?"

"The painting? You only poor your feelings into your art when something's effecting you emotionally. And going by this..." she looked over the canvas. "Its something big."

Alyssa huffed. "...Damn you for knowing me so well. Alright yeah. I went to see Ed after the press conference, and lets just say he wasn't all too happy with me delving deeper into Gotham's underworld."

"But, he's your best friend." Selina frowned. She had heard countless stories about Edward Nygma, and they had always painted him as the perfect guy; smart, kind, and loyal.

"Yeah well, he said he changed his mind. To which I snapped that I didn't want us to be friends either and kissed him."

Selina's eyes went wide. " _What?!_ "

"I'm not good with emotions, okay?" Alyssa threw her hands up into the air. "I mean I didn't even know I had a crush on this guy until Oswald pointed it out! And even then, my way of telling him was kissing him in a fit of rage." her shoulders slumped and she looked down. "I'm a mess..."

Selina sighed. "Well, its a good thing you've got me then."

 ** _*Three years ago*_**

 _Alyssa had had a good life in Smallville. If she was honest with herself, she had occasionally missed Gotham City, but taking care of Jerome the last two years had left little time for that._

 _But Haly's Circus had finally caught up with them, and accused Alyssa of kidnapping. It didn't matter that Lyla was a drunk who had men over nearly every night and beat her own son. It didn't matter that the police had had to pull the red haired boy from Alyssa kicking and screaming._

 _All the court saw was a high school drop out who had taken an 'unhealthy' interest in a boy five years younger than her. She could still hear Jerome crying, begging her not to let them take him back._

 _Alyssa shuddered. She hadn't been able to stop that, but before he had left she had promised him she'd get him back._

 _That was the only reason she had returned to Gotham. In this corrupt little city, anyone with enough money could buy a few buildings and rise in power quickly. The lawyer she had hired said she needed to get connections, a reputation, make herself look like a fit guardian._

 _Her hand snapped out and grabbed the wrist of the hand that was trying to slip into her pocket. The small girl attached to said hand looked up at her, startled._

 _"Nice try kid, but I pulled that trick enough times to know when its being pulled on me."_

 _"Is this the part where you take me to the cops?"_

 _Alyssa scoffed. "Why would I do that? You gotta make a living somehow kid, who am I to judge?"_

 _The girl blinked at her._

 _"Tell you what; you got a place to stay tonight?"_

 _She nodded._

 _"Don't you dare lie to me."_

 _She shook her head._

 _"Come on."_

"What do a dead man, a cruise ship and an emu have in common?" Edward said into the microphone in the medical examination room.

"Nothing."

He looked up. "Selina."

"Cat." the young girl corrected.

"You shouldn't be in here."

"Neither should you. You're welcome by the way, I turned the medical examiner off your trail on my way here."

Edward blinked in surprised. "...Thank you, but...why are you here?"

She shrugged. "I'm here because I've apparently become the bridge between you and my mom when you're both too stubborn to talk to each other."

Edward's face fell at the mention of Alyssa. Truth be told, he had been trying not to think about her. That was difficult however, as she had fled the room after yelling at him and stealing his first kiss.

After he had been silent for too long, Selina sighed. "You know when she took me in, she always liked to tell stories. Lot of 'em were about you." she looked him over in a way that made him feel rather small. "You're _great_ in the stories. I don't see it yet."

Edward clenched his jaw. "Okay..."

"Alyssa adores you." she informed. "And, I know that loosing you once broke her hearts. That's why I invited you over in the first place." she stepped up to him, jabbing a finger in his chest just like her mother had. "But know this four-eyes; you break her heart again, I'm coming after you. And that's your _only_ warning."

 _The following morning, the girl – who had revealed her name to be Selina Kyle, but she told Alyssa to call her Cat – went to sneak out of the apartment window early in the morning._

 _"What no goodbye?"_

 _Selina stopped. She had been caught._

 _"Look lady, you did your charity." she shrugged. "You don't have to keep pretending."_

 _"When did I pretend anything?" Alyssa raised an eyebrow._

 _"I get it okay? Take a kid off the streets, make them into a model citizen, its a great plan. I just don't have any interest in being part of it."_

 _Alyssa chuckled. "Look kitten –" Selina glared at the nickname. "sometimes people are just nice. You're welcome to leave, but you're welcome to stay too."_

 _"Well you're nice and all, but but I've got money to steal and alleys to sleep in, alright?" Selina sassed._

 _"I'll do you one better." Alyssa countered. "How 'bout_ ** _I_** _give you a home?"_

 _Selina blinked. "What here?"_

 _"Yeah, here."_

 _"For how long?" she scoffed. "Three weeks, and then you get sick of me?"_

 _"Oh I'm sick a ya_ ** _now_** _kitten, but I'm still making the offer."_

 _"...Why?" Selina asked, her voice softer._

 _"What can I say? I like people who remind me of me."_

 _She looked down. "...You're not gonna tell me what to do."_

 _"Somebody's gotta."_

 _"You're not my mom!"_

 _"I'm not trying to be!" Alyssa sighed. "Look kitten, all I'm offering is a few square meals, a roof –" she nodded at the window behind her. "and a window to crawl out of."_

Jim sighed as he held out the drawing the sketch artist had made.

"She said this is the man who killed your parents. She said, she saw his face. Do you recognize him, Bruce?"

"No." Bruce shook his head. "...What's her name?"

"Selina Kyle." Jim informed.

"Ms. Connors' daughter." the boy lit up slightly.

"You know her?" Jim raised an eyebrow.

"Not personally." he shook his head again. "But when she came to meet with my parents, Ms. Connors sometimes mentioned having a daughter my age. I've seen pictures, heard a few stories, but we've never actually met."

"And you want her to live here with us, do you?" Alfred asked, clearly not for the idea.

"Her and Alyssa, actually. Both of them need to be put in protective custody."

"Boy scout, I must _really_ like you." Alyssa said as she looked around Wayne manor.

Jim huffed. "I know its a lot, but your apartment is the first place anyone would look for Selina. And you're the first person they'd go to to find her."

"Yeah, yeah, spare me the speech. Kitten _don't_ break anything expensive!" she called as Selina wandered down the hallway. "We'll stay put, play nice. Meanwhile, you've got a meeting to get to." she handed him a business card.

Jim frowned as he read the name. "Harvey Dent?"

"That's the DA you're meeting with. Personal friend of mine, he's the one that keeps my affairs in order."

"...Thanks."

Alyssa shrugged. "No problem. Now if you'll excuse me me, there are more than likely some peanut butter cookies in the kitchen with my name on them."

Alfred was always up early to do his chores and make breakfast. Bruce usually wasn't up until after seven, so he was surprised when he heard the knock at the kitchen door.

"Morning Jeeves." Alyssa smiled at him.

"Ms. Connors. I didn't expect you to be up so early."

"I work with teenagers." she slid into one of the seats at the kitchen table. "I've learned to stay ahead of the game. What's for breakfast?"

"Bacon and eggs." Alfred informed. "Sorry if that's not what you and your girl like, but this isn't a hotel."

"No, hotels are my thing." Alyssa joked, but frowned when Alfred didn't even smile. "Have I done something to offend you Alfred, because I'm getting the feeling you don't like me."

"Nothing personal Ms. Connors, I just don't quite fancy a member of the mob and a street thief staying with us."

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "For the record, I only took Falcone's offer for protection. Now no one can hurt my kids without Falcone coming after them, and that's a damn site better threat then me going after them."

"You call them _your_ kids?" Alfred raised an eyebrow. "I thought they merely worked for you as part of a charity project."

Alyssa chuckled. "You caught me Jeeves. They show up for their shifts, I give them a place to stay. My motives are purely selfish."

Alfred frowned as she said this, noticing something in her eyes and in her tone. "...I'm not so sure they are, Ms. Connors."

Being the curious boy he was, Bruce had a lot of questions for Selina. Selina didn't like his questions however, as they pried into her personal life.

Only Alyssa knew that story. It had taken a while, but Selina had told her.

Her father had been gone from day one. Her mother, while she had good intentions, she also had a serious drug and alcohol addiction.

She used to leave Selina at a toy store or a playground. One day when Selina was eight, she hadn't come back. She had been on the streets for a full year before she met Alyssa.

Alyssa was nice and offered all the motherly affection her real mother never had. As she had gained her 'Mama Gotham' persona, the other kids had taken to calling her 'Mama', but they had always joked that Selina was the only one who should call her that.

Selina had rolled her eyes, but the words had stuck with her. She was the only one of Alyssa's kids that called her by her name...at least when she was around.

She peered through the curtains out to the balcony off the study. She was just cracking the window open when the boy spoke up behind her.

"If you wanna go somewhere, we can call you a taxi."

She turned. "You move quiet."

"So do you." Bruce smiled. Selina shut the window and stepped away from it, but he still asked; "Are you leaving?"

"Thinking about it."

"Won't Ms. Connors worry?"

"Nah, mom knows I always come back. Though if I'm out past curfew she grounds me." Selina chuckled.

"...I'm sorry if talking about your family upset you."

"I wasn't upset." she shrugged.

"You seemed kind of upset."

Selina strolled over to the desk and picked up the framed photo of Martha Wayne sitting on it. "That's your mom, huh?" Bruce nodded. "She looks nice."

"She was." he looked down. "You saw her, the night she was killed."

"Uh-huh..." Selina nodded, setting the photo down.

"And you saw me? What I did? What I _didn't_ do?"

She frowned. "W-what are talking about? What could you have done?"

"I dunno, _something!_ "

"You're _dreaming_ kid." she shook her head. "A gun's a gun." Pitying the boy slightly, she sat down on the fancy sofa and changed the subject. "My brother's in show business."

"...Oh?" Bruce sat across from her. "I didn't know Ms. Connors had a son."

"Well he's not _really_ my brother, he's a circus kid my mom's trying to win custody of. He was the first kid she ever took in, even before she became 'Mama Gotham.'"

Bruce looked down. "...If I ask you something, will you promise not to get angry again?"

"No." Selina said, giving him a suspicious look.

Bruce asked anyway. "Why do you only call Ms. Connors your mother when she's not in the room?"

Selina smiled sadly. "She's not really my mom. She just, took me in, like she does with all the other kids. I-I don't wanna overstep anything."

"She seems to care for you more than the other kids in her care."

She shrugged. "Yeah, they always say I'm her favorite." Uncomfortable, she stood and changed the subject. "Did you ever kiss a girl?"

"N-no." Bruce stuttered, his eyes going wide.

"Do you want to?"

"W-why do you ask?"

"Just curious." Selina smirked.

Alyssa poured over her files with a sigh. She loved her job, but working numbers was boring no matter what field of business it was in.

"You seem rather disgruntled, Ms. Connors." Alfred said, making her look over her shoulder.

"I'm a business woman, Alfred. Budgeting has to be done sometime."

"Hmm." he stepped into the library she had tucked herself away in. "I owe you an apology, Ms. Connors."

"Everybody does." she shrugged.

"I misjudged you, and your daughter. You're both good people, and I'm happy to have you here."

"Thank you, Alfred." Alyssa smiled. "That means a lot."

"Well, I am just happy that the children of Gotham have a good role model."

"Well, I don't know about that." She chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm really just a meal ticket."

"Well done don't sell yourself short, Ms. Connors. Selina, at the very least, looks up to you."

"She's a good kid, she just doesn't want people to know that." Alyssa smiled fondly. "Reminds me a' me."


	26. Alyssa Connors

Alyssa was actually getting along rather well with Alfred and Bruce. Over the last week and a half, things had actually been peaceful and quiet for once, something Alyssa could say she'd never experienced in Gotham.

She was still very much running her businesses, but she found herself enjoying the sit down meals and never ending questions from the small billionaire.

Of course, no matter how much he asked, she couldn't tell Bruce everything. But she liked someone taking a positive interest in her work; no one besides the kids she took care of ever had.

"How did you come to start your work?" Bruce asked one day.

Alyssa blinked. "I..."

"Y-you don't have to answer if you don't want to." he said, worried he'd overstepped his boundaries. Alyssa, he was coming to discover, like her daughter had a lot of things she didn't like to talk about.

"No, its fine, I just...I haven't thought about that night in while..." she bit her lip. "I wasn't much older than you actually. I ran away from home. I was scared out of my mind, and ended up running to a friend's house; a place I had never been. But, I knew that he would let me in, and I'd be safe. On the way there though...I saw a lot of kids out in the streets. Lots of them were younger than me, in ratty clothes, messy hair. And, all those kids, in all those streets, I just...I wanted them to have somewhere to go too."

Alyssa was coming around the corner, _finally_ finished with her paperwork, when she saw Alfred in the front room with...oh crap.

"Alfred, is everything alright?" Bruce and Selina had come halfway down the stairs.

"No, master Bruce, this lady's been involved in a car accident."

"Kids, run." Alyssa ordered, her voice somewhat shaky. The woman looked up upon hearing her voice and smirked when she saw her. "Run!"

They both took off back up the stairs, but the woman went after Alyssa. Alyssa was strong, buts he was out of practice when it came to fighting, and had no time to grab the knife she kept in her jacket.

Alfred tried to help her, but the woman had back up. Once they were both down for a while, they went after the kids. Alfred and Alyssa weren't about to let that happen, and were quick to follow him.

Alyssa was so consumed with worry that she couldn't think clearly, which was probably why she ended up with a bullet in her leg.

"Local PD's searching the woods, but so far no sign of Bruce, or Selina." Jim reported while Alyssa was glaring at the poor man trying to patch her up. "What can you tell me about this woman?"

He'd asked Alfred, but it was Alyssa who answered. "Her name's Tabitha Galavan. She's her older brother Theo's muscle. Anything she does is nearly always under his orders, but he does like to lend her for hire."

"You sound like you know them well."

"No need to sound so suspicious boy scout; they aren't friends." she shoved the doctor away. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got things to do."

"Look, we've got fifty police in the woods, even more on the roads, we need to focus on this woman and her people; what can you tell me about her?" Jim insisted.

"They were trained killers." Alfred spoke up. "And Ms. Connors and her bloody little girl brought them here."

"We don't know that yet."

"Its alright boy scout, he's right." Alyssa informed. "Live in this city long enough, you're bound to make a few enemies. But don't worry Jeeves, Selina can keep your boy safe."

"Jim!" a new voice made all three of them turn. Harvey Bullock walked up. "You must be Alfred Pennyworth. Nice job out there."

"Yeah well, not nice enough aye?"

"This was taken off the dead guy." Harvey held up a mug shot of Selina. to Jim. "Nothin' else, no keys, no ID, nada. Now I know this girl; and I know Alyssa'll kill you _real_ slowly if she died. But what I don't know is what either pain in mine neck is doin' at Wayne freakin' Manor! What the hell's goin' on compadre?"

"Oh you hadn't told him?" Alyssa said sarcastically.

"Told me _what?!_ "

Jim sighed. "Selina Kyle was in the alley, the night the Wayne's were murdered. She saw the killer's face."

"For pete's sake, don't do this to me." Harvey shook his head.

"Harvey Dent in the DA's office is investigating Dick Lovecraft." Jim said carefully, hoping not to set off his ill-tempered partner. "He thinks that Lovecraft is connected to the Wayne killings. So, he leaked that we had a witness. He thought he could spook Lovecraft. Get him to reveal himself."

"Wow that's a hell of a plan, how did it work out? _Bravo!_ " Harvey spat. As much as he couldn't stand the kid, Selina had wormed her way into his heart just like her mother had.

"We thought she was safe. She thought no one knew her or Alyssa were here!" he said, throwing a look her way, as if she had been the on who told.

"Boy scout, you keep acussin' me of things the only thing I'll be guilty of is giving you a broken jaw."

"Why didn't you tell me about this foolishness?" Harvey said, still angry, but knowing Alyssa's own temper was running high. And he wasn't sure he'd stop her from breaking Jim's jaw.

"Because you would've tried to stop me."

"Of course I would've tried to stop you, you putz! What the hell are you thinking, the Wayne case is closed! It is _closed!_ "

"You know damn well its not!"

"Don't tell me what I know!"

"Will you _shut up_ , the pair a ya!" Alfred finally snapped. "You can argue later! Right now...we need to find, master Bruce."

Alyssa scoffed. "Nice to know everyone's priorities; I'll be going now."

Jim caught her arm as she tried to walk away. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"To find the kids. I'll make sure they're safe and drive Bruce back myself."

"You know where they are?" he frowned.

" _Duh_. I _invented_ the street kid's safe haven, _where_ else would Selina go when she's in trouble?"

Jim sighed. "Alright, but the killers might figure that out too. We'll send over some squad cars and –" he was cut of by Alyssa grabbing his collar.

"You're not gonna do a damn thing." she said lowly. "This is my _daughter_ , boy scout. Do _not_ mess with me on this." she threw him slightly so that he stumbled when she let go of him. After that, she left the room and the manor.

Harvey frowned and felt his pockets. "Where are my keys?"

Selina was getting Bruce some new clothes when Harvey's beloved classic pulled up to the old building. Alyssa came to the entrance, put two fingers in her mouth and whistled shrilly, drawing the attention of the entire room.

"Selina! Bruce!"

"Alyssa! Over here!"

Alyssa ran forward and hugged the younger girl. "You've got to stop scaring me like that kitten..."

"I'm sorry." Selina pulled back and saw the bandage around her leg. "Your leg!" she exclaimed, worried.

"Just a scratch, I'm fine." Alyssa waved her off. "What about you two?" she looked over Bruce and Selina.

"We're alright." Bruce nodded. "Is Alfred okay?"

"He's mean when he's worried about you, but physically yeah." Alyssa assured."I told him I'd give you a ride back."

"Hey Alyssa." a small voice made them turn.

"Ivy." Alyssa went to hug the red haired girl. "What are you doing here? What have you been up to, I thought-"

"Yeah, juvy caught me." Ivy shrugged. "I got adopted upstate."

"Didn't take?"

"Good people. They wanted me to cut my hair, dress nice. Not really me, ya know?"

"I know." Alyssa said sympathetically, rubbing the girl's shoulder

The safe haven she had built wasn't just for street kids, it was for anyone who needed a safe place, and with her abusive father Ivy Pepper had stopped by more than once. Alyssa had tried to get her to stay, but she always insisted on returning to her mother – though that had stopped after Ms. Pepper's death.

"I know you." Bruce said. "You're Mario Pepper's daughter."

"Yes. Who are you?"

Selina shook her head in warning, but Bruce spoke anyway. "I'm Bruce Wayne."

"...Yes you are. Billionaire, Bruce Wayne." Ivy said somewhat sarcastically.

"Stay cool now Ivy." Selina said.

"I am cool! Why are you telling me that? Why are you telling me what to do?" Ivy's voice took on an edge.

"I'm not, I'm just saying, I don't want you to get mad at him. He's a friend."

"Why would I get mad at him, its not his fault _is it?_ " she turned to Bruce. "Did you kill my father? Did you make my mother cut her wrists?"

"No." Bruce shook his head, looking shocked.

"Somebody did." Ivy said to Selina. "Somebody did, but not him." her gaze turned back to Bruce. "How ya doin' ya doin' okay?"

"I'm okay...And you?"

"I'm doin' great. How do I look?"

"...Y-you look good."

Alyssa sighed. "Its good to see you Ivy, but we've got to get going. I've got to get Bruce home."

"Oh. Alright, fine."

"There's still a place for you at the hotel if you want it."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Alfred had apologized to Alyssa when she brought Bruce home, but Alyssa had waved him off. It was fair that he had been more concerned for Bruce than Selina, it had been the same for her in reverse.

She was _not_ as nice however when Jim called and said the Mayor wanted to meet with him and Harvey Dent at the GCPD. And that as Selina's guardian, he wanted her there too.

"Lovecraft was a beloved pillar of this community. A dedicated servant of Gotham." Mayor James was saying to the three of them. They were sitting down while he circled the desk in front of them, as if that made him more threatening. "So what do I tell the media, huh? Hm? Any ideas?"

"He was crook?" Jim offered. "We nearly had him? And he was killed by whoever he would have implicated, _if_ he had lived to testify. Say that."

"Forgive me if I can't get behind your approach. It was your gun." James said with a slight glare.

"I didn't kill 'im." Jim said, sounding rather insulted.

"On balance, I believe you, on balance...But suicide is much cleaner –"

"It wasn't suicide, it was _murder!_ "

"It was suicide!" James growled. "He went mad under your relentless questioning, overpowered you, and killed himself with your gun. And don't tell me otherwise!"

"So that's it then, all wrapped up in a pretty little bow?" Alyssa said sarcastically.

"Don't test me Connors! It was _your_ kid they were goin' after!"

"And its her attempted murder _you're_ covering up!" she snapped.

"Ms. Connors you've been testing my patience since you made your name! You're hacking away at the very foundations of this city!"

"Yeah, and there ain't nothin' you can do about it!"

"...You're right." James admitted begrudgingly. He turned back to Jim and Harvey. "But these two are under my say. Should have the both of ya stuffed in a sack and thrown down the river! ...But I can't do that either. Two scape goats would look like panic. But mark my words, one a yas goin' down."

"Sir, that's not right." Harvey said.

"Hush. Its not you, Dent. Obviously, its Mr. Gordon."

"Sir, I protest!" Harvey sat up.

"But not too much. Ya see, councilor Dent knows how to walk the line. He knows where the edge is. And you Mr. Gordon, do not know where the edge is."

Jim stood and face him. "Mayor James...kiss my ass."

"You never told the mayor you were working with me, did you?" Alyssa asked Harvey Dent as they left the captain's office.

"Uh, no, he'd fire me in a second." Harvey shook his head. "But, I do bend the rules for friends."

"And the fact that we _are_ friends is the only reason I'm not yelling at you for being the reason professional killers went after Selina."

He looked down. "Yeah...I-I'm very sorry Alyssa."

"Its alright. We got off this time. Just do me a favor, the next time you have an idea don't oversell it, okay?"

Harvey chuckled. "Yes mam. Would you like to get a drink?"

Alyssa was about to except when she saw Edward across the precinct. "Not tonight. There's still something I have to take care of here."

Alyssa knocked on the door to the forensics room. She _really_ didn't want to do this, but the voice in her head – that sounded too much like Selina – told her she had too.

"Poindexter, I know you're in there!" she called. "Open the door!"

It opened to show Edward with his apron and rubber gloves on. "You haven't called me 'poindexter' since we were twelve years old."

"Well, I'm bringin' it back." she pushed past him into the room. Huffing, she turned to face him. "Look I...I guess I should apologize. I'm not really sure why though; you were the one yelling at me."

"You were the one who kissed me." he countered.

"I wanted you to shut up."

He shook his head. "Okay, _clearly_ you and I have some things we've been avoiding, feelings we need to get into the air." he said in his 'logic' voice that Alyssa had never really liked.

She shrugged. "Right now I'm feelin' a little angry."

"Okay. Well, I feel that given our close proximity, and the fact that I've never actually seen you have interest in other men, it only makes sense that you would fool yourself into thinking you have feelings for me."

"Okay, now its a _lot_ angry." she glared at him. "You're saying you think my feelings for you aren't real?"

"Yes."

 _Smack!_

Edward's hand went to the stinging in his cheek, shocked. He didn't even notice the slap had sent his glasses askew.

"You don't get to say that." she told him. "You don't feel the same way about me, _fine_ , but you _do not_ get to invalidate how I feel." she sighed. "...You know as far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be you."

"...What?"

"When I met you, I couldn't stand you, you know? You were this bossy little know-it-all who didn't have a care in the world. You had _everything._ Good home, teacher's pet, loving family – I _wanted_ that! 'How was your day sweetheart?' 'It was great mom', _you_ had that! And all you did was _complain_ , about bullies, about not having friends, I _hated_ that! Because you went to bed every night with a full stomach and a kiss goodnight, while I went to bed wondering if I was gonna wake up the next morning because there's only so much I could fix with band-aids and tissues, I _wanted_ that!"

Edward swallowed. "...I wanted what _you_ had. Popularity, the confidence to control an entire room, you taught me how to have fun, you were a walking adventure! You called the principal by his first name, you held lunch auctions, you snuck out of detention through the air vents!"

"Yeah and I did it because one of the bigger kids _dared_ me to! And it landed _my_ ass in trouble, _again!_ " Alyssa exclaimed. "Me getting into trouble is what _screwed_ up my life, but I did it so people would actually _care_ what I did!" she scoffed. "But I met you, and suddenly I didn't need trouble for someone to care about me. And then there was dear sweet Mary-Alice Thomas, getting you all doey-eyed without even _trying!_ " she spat. "I had _no_ idea why I hated her so much, I just knew you were too good for her. But she changed you, suddenly she was the _only_ thing you cared about, and lo' and behold the old me was back." she shook her head. "But the feelings never stopped, even after I left, even after I turned my life into something better – I went half-way across the country trying to forget about you and it _didn't_ work!"

Edward stood there silently, for once, speechless.

Alyssa sighed, clenching and unclenching her fists in an attempt to control her anger. "You're the smartest person I know, poindexter. But the obvious always seemed to allude you." she shook her head. "You want me out of your life like you said? I'll go." she turned on her heel and walked out.


	27. The White Queen

It was several weeks before Alyssa and Edward spoke again.

She had been down to The GCPD several times; wrangling an irritable Harvey Bullock who wasn't doing well without Jim. Edward had seen her, but hadn't approached her. He was too ashamed.

When they were kids, Alyssa had always been a terrifying thrill for him. He had quite honestly been scared of her, and if he was honest with himself, he still was now. He spent years trying to figure her out, but everytime he thought he had it, she proved him wrong.

She had always said he would be the impressive one because of his intelligence. She was very bluntly aware of the fact that she didn't match up, but he was very bluntly aware that she beat him out in other, more important categories.

Alyssa Connors had always been aware of the lousy state of the world around her, and yet she had managed to thrive in it. She put others before herself everytime; her sister, her daughter, even him.

As for her feelings toward him, well, Alyssa was his best friend. It never occurred to him to see her as anything else. But now he thought about it. Probably more than he ought to. He had always admired her; both physically and personality wise. She was remarkable to him in every way possible, he had found himself marveling over her on many occasions, but he had always thought that was because she was breaking every rule he knew.

The rational side of him said there was no fixing this. Logically, he had ruined his friendship with her and there was no going back.

But the rational and logical side of him never seemed to be right when it came to Alyssa. She had been the one to bring out the new side in him; the stubborn and wild one who just wanted her back beyond all reason.

So when the detectives called her in for the Arkham escape case – apparently she did volunteer work there – he hovered nearby, waiting for a chance to speak to her.

"Since when does Arkham let in volunteers anyhow?" Harvey said, clearly not liking the idea of Alyssa around the mentally ill.

"Since I became rich enough to bribe people." Alyssa informed. "I was curious about the place, I always have been."

"I know I had to bail you out when you got arrested for sneaking in when it was closed down."

"The patients did seem rather fond of you." Jim said. "Especially Tetch."

"Hatter." she lit up. "Yeah, he adores me."

"He calls you the white queen." Jim frowned.

"Its a character from Alice in Wonderland. In the story, the white queen is the rightful ruler that Alice and her friends are trying to reinstate in place of the red queen." she explained. "Means he thinks highly of me. Also means he expects me to show up for tea parties."

"Right..." Jim shook his head. "Your bizarre life aside..."

The second she stepped away from being questioned, Edward stepped up to her. She spoke before he could.

"Mr. Nygma, I believe you had this sent to my office." she shoved a small bakery box at him.

Edward flinched a little at her cold and professional tone, but held onto his confidence. "Its a riddle."

Alyssa flipped the lid of the box open to show a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing – it was her favorite. "Its a cupcake with a live bullet sticking out of it."

"Its, a riddle." his face fell slightly.

"Its weird and menacing, and inedible." Alyssa informed before turning and walking off.

Edward wanted to call out to her, but he couldn't get any words past the lump in his throat. Weird...Menacing...those were words she'd always defended him from; attacking those who didn't understand his intelligence or made fun of his admittedly lacking social skills.

Whatever argument the rational side of him had was quickly silent and all of him was in agreement: he had to get her back.

In the hotel full of teenagers, six am was hardly a time to be awake. As such, Alyssa had peace and quiet while she looked over the books and flipped through the mail that had been delivered.

It was also why she was the one who woke up half the first floor.

 _Dear Ms. Connors,_

 _We were delighted to receive your work, and thank you for choosing us to showcase it. The art gallery opens on the 15th; it will be a formal event that we would like you to attend. You are welcome to invite up to ten guests._

 _Sincerely, The Gotham Art Borough_

"I'm here, why'd you call me?" Harvey came through the front door of the hotel.

Standing behind the front desk, Alyssa pulled a ball gun out and began firing at the older man.

"Whoa whoa!" he held up his hands to protect himself. "What the hell kid?!"

"How could you?!"

"What I do?!"

Ceasing fire, Alyssa threw the letter in his face. "Selina says _you_ signed off on this! I expect this kinda thing from her, but _come on_ Harv!"

Taking a moment to look over the letter, Harvey sighed. "Alright yeah, I signed off on it for her. But only because I've spent years seeing you pour your heart into your work, and I think it deserves some recognition."

Alyssa hung her head and ran a hand through her hair. "Harvey...I'm not good with emotions." she looked up at him. "But, I'm sure you know that. So sometimes, when I'm angry, or frustrated, I splatter paint on a canvas or scribble with a pencil and the scribbles and splatters turn into shapes. Now, I do that for me, not for anyone else."

"...Okay. Okay kid, well you're already mad at me, so I'm just gonna say this next part and run."

Alyssa folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

Harvey sighed. "I invited your sister."

Edward felt very out of place at the Flee, though that might've been the hundred and fifty some teenagers staring at him. Still, despite its somewhat rough and dismal state, the place had small touches that he recognized as Alyssa's charm.

The meal station was serving plenty of baked goods, one of the older kids was reading a children's book to a group of younger kids. But what really caught his eye was the wall of polaroid pictures.

There were all of young men and women beaming in their success. Some were standing in front of restaurants with their names on them, some were in broadway costumes, a few were in fancy suits. There was a sign above the pictures that read 'Gotham Wall Of Fame.'

"Who are you?"

Edward turned to see a small red haired girl who he recognized as Mario Pepper's daughter. "Edward. Nygma."

"What are you doing here? You don;t belong here, your clothes are too nice."

"I-I'm looking for Alyssa Connors. Do you know where she is?"

"Yeah. Alyssa shut herself up in her office an hour ago. Mickey says she's real mad."

"Could you point me in the direction of her office."

The girl pointed up to a staircase that lead to a loft. There were a few doors on the far wall.

"Thank you." he nodded and hurried towards the stairs.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he knocked on the door that had 'Mama' written on it in spray paint.

"Go away."

"Alyssa? Its Edward."

"I stand by my 'go away.'"

Ignoring her order, he tried the doorknob to find it unlocked and stepped inside.

Alyssa's office was in the same state as the rest of the building, but decidedly more homey. There was a large wooden desk that she sat behind with two cushioned chairs in front of it. There were some pictures on the wall that he recognized as her own work, along with a few photos as well.

"What do you want Mr. Nygma?" she huffed, leaning back in her chair.

"The cupcake is sweet, the bullet is deadly...a beautiful woman's a dangerous thing."

Clearly taken back, Alyssa blushed, smiling slightly.

"I know, what I've done is unexcuseable. I-I made false accusations, and I screamed at you...I was under the impression that I knew you better than anyone else. But you hid things, and lied just to make me feel better. While I appreciate that, that's not how a stable friendship should work."

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow.

Edward shook his head. "True friends should be there for each other to share the burden. Sticking together though the bad things is kind of the point really. I was under the impression that I was that kind of friend, but it appears I wasn't. So I'm sorry. And..." he looked down. "I miss you. I-I just...wanted to say that."

Alyssa bit her lip. "...As usual, you're right. I haven't been fair to you. I was so focused on protecting you, I didn't see what it was actually doing to you. So for that I'm sorry."

"Really?" he looked at her, eyes slightly wide behind his glasses. "I rather expected you to slap me again by now. To be honest, I didn't think I'd get this far."

That made Alyssa smile. "Edward Nygma without a plan? What is the world coming to?"

He chuckled nervously. "Yeah. Listen, Alyssa...You're my best friend. You've been my best friend since we were twelve, and I know I'm a different person than I would've been if I hadn't known you. I don't want this to be the end of us."

"I thought you wanted nothing to do with me?"

"I've tried forgetting you exist when you first left Gotham and discovered I'm not very good at it." Edward shook his head. "And...It only recently occurred to me, but I'm beginning to think the feelings I have for you are stronger than friendship and I'd like to explore them."

Alyssa winced. "Ed, if you're just doing this for my sake –"

"No, my feelings for you are the same that they've always been." he cut her off. "I just...didn't think that I might being misinterpreting them." a pink tinge appeared on his cheeks. "It also never occurred to me that you had stronger feelings for me, so..."

Alyssa smiled and tried to ignore her racing heart. "Tell you what; Harvey and Selina decided to go behind my back and send some of my artwork to a gallery. There's a party for when it opens on the 15th, and I'm allowed to bring guests. You can come, if you like."

A wide grin lit up Edward's face. "I'll be there."


	28. Bottle Girl

Alyssa had always visited the precinct more than a private citizen should, but now she was mostly there for Edward. They were slowly but surely rebuilding their relationship – stablely this time. Alyssa didn't keep secrets from him anymore; she was completely honest no matter how harsh the truth was. Vise versa, Edward was doing his best to be more understanding – Gotham was a hard city to get and keep power in, but Alyssa was a good person.

They were talking about the gallery showing coming up – mostly Edward calming Alyssa's worries about seeing Jamie again – when the smile fell off Edward's face.

"Uh oh. Usually when people get that look, Mayor James is behind me." Alyssa turned around. "Oh, officer Flass. Ugh, that's even worse."

"Lovely to see you too, Ms. Connors." the man said sarcastically before looking over his shoulder. "Ed, Gordon and Bullock want you in the front questioning room. Witness is dead."

"Oh dear." Edward said, pushing his glasses up. "I-I had better get over there." his comfort with Alyssa had faded and he was back to his awkward self.

"I'll go with you." Alyssa said, grimacing at the looks officer Flass was giving her. Why were so many of the cops here pigs?

Alyssa had been coming here since she was a kid, and not many of the employees approved of her existence, let alone her being in the precinct without police business. But it certainly didn't stop them from staring as she...ahem...grew up.

"How the hell did this happen?" Jim exclaimed, clearly upset.

"Security cameras in and outside the room were turned off." Harvey informed.

"Ed, you got any thoughts on the weapon?"

He grinned. "What's strong enough to smash ships, but still fears the sun?"

"Can it with the riddles, Ed!" Harvey yelled. "I don't have the patience, today, or any day."

"Ice." Alyssa informed. "That was an easy one; maybe you should get that patience Harv." the detective glared at her.

"Correct." Edward smiled at her. "Judging by the circumference of the wounds, I believe the weapon is an ice pick. Carbon steel six inches long. Driven in deep enough that it marked the surrounding tissue with _distinctive_ hexagonal handle. Its not your standard kitchen fair. Fun fact gentlemen – and lady." he threw Alyssa another smile. "Mr. Wankler's wounds here are the exact same as the wounds on the victim from this morning."

"The drug dealer? Littlefield?" Jim frowned.

"Him." Edward nodded. "Same weapon. Same killer, one would suppose."

 _Ring ring!_

"Hello?"

"Ms. Connors?"

"Bruce. How are you?" Alyssa asked. She hadn't spoken to the young boy or his butler since they had been attacked by assassins.

"I'm well. I was actually calling to check up on you and Selina; I haven't heard from you in a while."

"Other than the usual trouble, we're fine." she smiled, touched that he was worried about them. Though she had a feeling his concerns were pointed more towards her daughter than herself.

"Good, that's good..." Bruce trailed off.

Alyssa chuckled. "If you want Selina to come see you, all you have to do is ask Brucie."

She could practically _hear_ him blushing. "Y-yes please. That would be nice."

"Alright. Well, you know what? She's messed with me a lot lately, Imma mess with her. There's an art gallery opening on the 15th, we're going with a few friends. You're going to be her date."

"I am?"

"Yup. See ya Brucie." she hung up before he could protest.

Jim Gordon, despite his attempts to knock down 'Mama Gotham', had earned Alyssa's respect. It seemed he was shaking up the city more than she had, and anyone who spat in the face of Gotham etiquette was certainly on her good side.

The party she had been invited to was by no means lively, but Alyssa was there because Oswald had asked her to be. He was showing off to his mother more than anything. Still, it was interesting to be in Fish's bar and have no worry of being shot. Take away Fish and her boys, the place was actually quite nice.

"You sure you're okay?" Oswald asked while his mother was dancing with Gabe. "I wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable; I know your history with this place."

"I'm good." Alyssa took a gulp from her champagne. "Trust me, my drinking tonight has nothing to do with the venue."

"Whats it to do with then?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Couple a things." she leaned against the bar. "Number one being the art gallery on the 15th. Harvey invited my sister."

Oswald's eyes went wide. "Jamie?" he had never met the younger Connors girl, but he knew the story well. Jamie Connors had always been an uncomfortable topic for Alyssa, the thought of actually _seeing_ her again had to be devastating.

"Yup." Alyssa said, popping the 'p.' "Add that to the fact that my work which I barely let anyone see is going to be on display, I'm not really looking forward to the evening. Oh, and Selina and I both have dates."

"Oh?"

"Mmm. Selina's taking Bruce Wayne. But she doesn't know that yet."

Oswald chuckled. "And you?"

"Uh..." Alyssa rubbed at the back of her neck. "Edward Nygma."

"Ed? Our Ed?"

"Uh-huh. He's got a job at the GCPD in forensics."

"And you neglected to tell me this?"

"Well between Selina inviting him over without telling me, and him accusing me of being a mobster, yeah it slipped my mind."

"You _are_ a mobster."

"I know!" Alyssa gulped the last of her drink. "I also kissed him."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Felt good. Till he tried to write me off..." she shook her head. "But don't worry, we worked it out."

"Wow." Oswald chuckled and shook his head. "I need to start keeping a closer eye on you."

"Well I'm sure you'll be able to once Falcone gives you this place." Alyssa looked around the bar. "I never liked this design."

That got her a full on laugh. "Well I can't wait to see your ideas to fix it up, my dove."

When Jim came in asking for help on the Flass case, Alyssa was slightly unsettled. Arnold Flass was one of the biggest drug dealers in Gotham; had been for quite some time. He liked to torment her over her father's past in the business, and Oswald knew this. Which was why she was certain Jim's 'no one gets hurt' rule would be broken.

Still, she very much wanted to see the man get what was coming to him, so she excused herself from the party to go to the GCPD. To pass the time until the event, she went to find Edward.

She found him crying in the corner, just as he had been when Kristen Kringle had called him odd.

"Eddie?" she was quick to come up and kneel in front of him.

"Alyssa..." he lifted his head and wiped under his glasses. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Flass get busted, but I stopped caring about that the second I found you in here."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not. Its Kristen, isn't it?"

"W-what makes you say that?"

"Ed. You think I don't know you better than _anybody?_ " she gave him a look. "This is the same reaction you used to have when Mary-Alice rejected your advances. Its also how I found you after Ms. Kringle called you odd." she sat down next to him against the wall. "You wanna tell me what happened?"

Edward sighed and released his knees from his chest, letting his legs fall out onto the floor. "I wrote her a poem. I walked in on Arnold Flass and several other officers reading it and laughing about it..."

"Eddie..." she took his hand. "I'm sorry..."

He huffed and shook his head, a fresh wave of tears pooling in his eyes. "I might as well except it; Ms. Kringle and I are not to be. She is simply out of my league."

"On the contrary." Alyssa countered. " _You_ are out of _her's_."

"You really believe that?" he looked at her.

"I do. Ed, you're _extraordinary_. Any girl would be lucky to have you." she looked down. "Of course, you already know my feelings on the matter."

Edward stared at her for what felt like forever. In reality, it was only half a minute at best.

"...Alyssa?"

"Hm?"

"If I try something...will you promise not to slap me?"

"No." Alyssa said bluntly.

He huffed. "Well, you always encouraged me to take risks."

And the he kissed her.

Alyssa returned to the bar with a giggly expression. It faded however when she realized what she'd walked in on.

But only slightly.

"I do believe you need to project more. Just to create a bit more, _excitement_ for the audience. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome...to Fish Mooney's. Like that." Fish tapped her bat into her free hand, making a metallic cling against her rings.

"How's this?" Alyssa called, bringing the attention of all three people to her. " _Ladies_ and _**gentlemen!**_ _Good_ , _**evening.**_ " she finished off with a smirk and a flourish.

"Ooo." Fish shook her head. "You made a mistake coming here, bottle girl."

"Nope." Alyssa shook her head, walking right past them and stepping up onto the stage with Oswald. "I think, I'm _exactly_ –" she put her arm around his shoulders. "where I need to be."

"The two of you?" Fish looked between them. "Really?"

"One must stand by old friends, wouldn't you agree?" she raised an eyebrow. "You wanted a weapon Fish. But I imagine you didn't expect it to be used against you." she moved to stand in front of Oswald. "You want him, you're gonna have to go through me."

That actually made the woman laugh. "So confident. You really have grown up, haven't you girl?" she stepped forward. "But there's something you're forgetting. _I_ found you. _I_ ** _made_** you. When you walked in here you were a sad little wanna be – remember that Butch? You were so afraid..."

"Shook like a leaf in fall." Butch agreed.

"You're a servant." she stepped closer to the stage. "A _bottle_ girl protecting an _umbrella_ boy."

"That's the best part." Alyssa said, her voice cold. "You have no idea, what I'm capable of."

She scoffed. "What are you gonna do? You're a pair of _nobodies_."

"These nobodies still out-foxed you at every turn!" Oswald exclaimed, stepping out from behind Alyssa. She was protecting him, and he felt the need to do the same for her. He couldn't let her get hurt. "Alyssa rose higher than you _ever_ did in less than _half_ the time." he spat. "And I was working for Falcone the whole time! And you didn't have the _sense_ to see it!"

Fish's hand clenched tightly around her bat and she looked ready to attack. But a gun shot stopped her.

"Hello." Victor Zasz – who Alyssa had met a few times at the Falcone mansion – was holding his gun towards the ceiling. "Seems like Mooney's is the place to be tonight."

He and the girls behind him went for Butch and Fish, who were quick to run out the back door, leaving Oswald and Alyssa standing there.

Oswald let out a relived breath. "Thanks for protecting me."

"You too." Alyssa nodded. "Hell of a night, huh?"

"Hell of a night." he nodded.


	29. Influences

***Ten years ago***

 _A thirteen year old girl didn't usually come to Gotham's precinct unless they'd been arrested, but Alyssa was there more than some of the employees._

 _After her parents arrest, she had come back to see detective Bullock. If it wasn't for the danishes she always picked up from his favorite bakery he'd tell her to get lost. He usually avoided children on principal; his vulgar language and drinking problem didn't exactly make him the best influence._

 _But, though he'd never say it out loud, he had to admit that Alyssa was growing on him. She had a counter for every sarcastic remark he had – she had taken to calling him Detective Douche – and she wasn't afraid to tell off the other officers when they tried to scold her for being there._

 _She knew how harsh this city was, Harvey had seen that first hand. But...she was a good kid._

 _Then one day, a few months before she was gonna turn fourteen, he got a letter from New York._

 _'Dear Detective Bullock,_

 _Congratulations, the committee has awarded you the Officer of the Year award. Your nomination letter was by far the best and we look forward to seeing you and Ms. Connors at the awards ceremony in New York on March 17th.'_

 _"Connors!"_

 _Alyssa jumped and fell out of his desk chair where she had been taking a nap while waiting for him to come in. "What happened? Who's dead?"_

 _"You are! Explain this!" he threw the letter on his desk._

 _"...Congratulations?"_

The 15th finally came and Alyssa was standing in the middle of the room with a glass of wine in her hand that had been refilled twice and was closed to needing a third.

Only three of the pictures on the walls were her's. One was of a picnic table sitting on a hill under the stars, one was of her charm bracelet hanging off her wrist, and the last one was the splatter painting she'd made after she kissed Edward.

They were getting quite a lot of attention, and everyone she invited had shown up, even Harvey kept glaring at Oswald.

"Wow." Bruce smiled, blushing slightly from Selina's grip on his arm. "You're very talented, Ms. Connors."

"Thank you." she nodded.

"What did your sister think?" Harvey asked.

Alyssa only blinked at him with an innocent look.

"She, _never_ showed up." he realized.

She shook her head. "Its just you guys."

"Are you telling me that your sister _never_ showed up?!"

"No." Alyssa said. She wasn't all that surprised, but if she was honest, she was a little disappointed. She felt Edward squeeze her hand. "But of course you all did."

Before Harvey could get even angrier, a blonde woman walked up to the group.

"Hi, my name's Barbara Kean, I run the gallery." she held out her hand for Alyssa to shake.

"Alyssa Connors." she shook it.

"The woman behind the mystery. I met all the other artists ahead of time, but I never got to meet you."

"I wasn't exactly informed I'd be participating." she informed. "You're Jim Gordon's girlfriend, aren't you?"

"Yeah, yeah I am. How'd you know that?"

Alyssa nodded towards Harvey. "That's his partner, I'm good friends with him."

"Harvey Bullock, nice to meet you." he shook her hand.

"Wow, its good to finally put a face to the name." Barbara smiled. "Jim's told me a lot about you."

"Yeah, I'm sure he has, the putz."

"Harvey." Alyssa shot him a look. "Be nice."

Harvey rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut for Alyssa's sake. He was still peeved that Jamie hadn't shown up, and meeting Jim's girl wasn't exactly lifting his mood; especially when she walked up to her paintings.

Barbara looked at all three images, but her eyes lingered on the splatter painting. She frowned and looked over her shoulder at the artist in question. "That is not who you are."

Alyssa blinked. "...Huh?"

"I mean, what is that? What is it supposed to be?"

"I-I just painted what I was feeling. What's wrong with that?" she asked, her anxiety quickly returning.

But there was no judgement in the woman's voice – though Alyssa wasn't sure what there was. "What's wrong is I don't know what you're trying to say. What are you trying to say?"

"I dunno..." she suddenly felt rather small. Behind her, her friends were staring in shock; most of them had expected to need to hold Alyssa back. Why was she stuttering and shrinking in on herself?

"Why'd you pick that scene?" Barbara asked, pointing to the painting of the picnic table – there were colorful fireworks weaved through the stars that drew one's eye.

Alyssa smiled slightly, looking lost in thought. "I dunno, I just did."

"Well clearly it influenced you. What are your influences Ms. Connors? Why do you paint the things you do?"

She shrugged. "I'm not good with emotions, so sometimes they boil over inside me and I run a brush over a canvas. Any shapes or images that come out are purely coincidental. I'm sorry if you don't like it."

"Alyssa since when are you sorry about anything?" Selina exclaimed. "Lady, Alyssa is the best artist there is and –"

"Selina." Alyssa cut her off.

 ***three years ago***

 _The brat had a brat of her own now, well she had taken in a street kid, which Harvey thought was nuts. He was making bets with himself on when Alyssa would come running into the precinct saying she'd been robbed._

 _Then he'd met the girl. Alyssa had dragged her over to his apartment to introduce them – of course she did this without telling him before hand._

 _The kid – Selina – pissed him off to no end. She kept getting into things and interrupting him, and he couldn't wait to get her out of there._

 _She was currently studying a plaque hanging in his living room. She scoffed. "How'd you win cop a the year?"_

 _"For your information, Alyssa nominated me."_

 _"Your welcome." the woman in question came in from the kitchen with drinks._

When the event ended and the group had disperses, Edward walked Alyssa home. Selina, wanting to give them some time alone had chosen to go over to Wayne manor.

"What happened back there?" Edward asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that Ms. Kean put down your work and you didn't say anything."

"So?"

"So, Alyssa Connors wouldn't do that. Alyssa Connors wouldn't take nothing from nobody." she was silent, which only worried her date more. "She went after your art. Alyssa, your art is who you are, the woman went after who you are!"

"Look, I didn't want any part of this in the first place, okay?" she shook her head. "I didn't want my art to be in that gallery, I didn't want to wear this stupid dress, and I didn't want to see my sister again! I just went because apparently, I'm not allowed to run my own life anymore."

"That's not it and you know it." he sighed. "We just want what's best for you."

"Putting other people first is _my_ job."

"Which is exactly why you have so many people who care for you." Edward countered. "Alyssa, I'm very smart, but I've never been able to figure out anything about you without you telling me. _Please_ tell me."

Alyssa sighed and stopped walking, looking down. "Okay...A lot of the time, I let people believe things because its better than the truth. I let you believe I was a run-off trouble maker so you wouldn't have to worry about the sword hanging over your head. You're adjusting well to the truth, but I don't think Jamie would." she shook her head. "The lie was all she ever knew; she left Gotham thinking I had put our sainted parents in jail, and given the fact that she didn't show up tonight, that's probably still what she believes."

"So you were afraid of her coming to question you?"

"Yeah...I can't imagine its good for a person's mental health to have the cloth pulled off their eyes like that. A girl should be able to think well of her parents. If she doesn't, what's she got to look up to?"

 ***ten years ago***

 _One would think that if you told someone they won a national award, they'd be happy about it but Harvey Bullock was anything but._

 _He had zero interest in the award. It was supposed to go to heroes, people who nearly died in service, not some crooked cop in the most crooked city on the planet._

 _He and Alyssa had been avoiding each other for a little over a week – which was a record time he had gone without the kid annoying him. It wasn't long before Dicks brought her up though._

 _"How come your girl hasn't been by lately?" he asked one day as they were muddling through the paper work of their latest bust._

 _"She ain't my girl. She's just some brat who likes to be a pain in my ass."_

 _"Heard she won you an award."_

 _He scoffed. "She wrote a letter. So what?"_

 _"Harv..." Dicks sighed. "That kid adores you. You do know that don't ya?"_

 _He gave his partner a look. "What are you talkin' about?"_

 _"She's in here nearly everyday to talk to you. She wrote a letter that apparently made you look good enough to win cop of the year, and she also came in yesterday and made a speech to get me to convince you to talk to her."_

 _"Did she now?" he raised an eyebrow._

 _"Mmhm. She called you an asshat."_

 ***Upstate New Jersey***

 _Knock knock knock!_

The front door to the town home with faded yellow walls opened to reveal a girl a good ten years younger than the person standing on the front porch.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"I'm lookin' for Jamie?"

"She's my roommate, I'll call her down." she stepped back to yell up the steps. "Jamie! You've got a visitor!"

"Coming!" a young brunette came down the stairs. Up close, one could see the resemblance between her and her sister.

"Ms. Connors." Jamie filched at the name but didn't get the chance to protest then. "My name is Harvey Bullock; I'm a good friend of your sister's."

"You must be a terrible person then." Jamie said bitterly. "And its Ms. Philips now."

"Well its nice to meet you Ms. Phillips. I'm here to ask why you didn't bother showing up to your sister's art gallery last week."

She scoffed. "Why would I go? I haven't heard from her in over ten years."

Harvey gritted his teeth. It wasn't his place to tell this girl the truth about her family, so he wouldn't.

But that didn't mean he couldn't do other things.

 ***ten years ago***

 _Carly's bakery was by far the best place in town, at least in Harvey's opinion. The kid usually picked up his order when she came in, so he hadn't been down in a while. But it seemed like a quiet place to meet with her without nosy cops interrupting._

 _"Alright Connors, you have my attention." he nodded, surrendering. "You clearly have something to say – Dicks said you made a speech."_

 _"I wouldn't call it a speech." she shrugged._

 _"Said you called me an asshat."_

 _"I did call you an asshat." she nodded. "You_ ** _are_** _an asshat. But...you're also a damn good cop." she sighed and pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket. "I know you've been feeling really down about this city lately, and hating this place is_ ** _my_** _job, not yours. So, I'm gonna read this out loud, but just know that if you interrupt me in_ ** _any_** _way I will scream, and you'll probably get arrested."_

 _Harvey rolled his eyes and motioned for her to go ahead._

 _Alyssa cleared her throat. "Dear award committee members, Where I live, it is not easy to be a cop. The people here all seem to only care about themselves, so they aren't very likely to help in a case. The city of Gotham is filled with a lot of apathetic people, but despite what he would have you believe, Harvey Bullock is not one of those people. He cares about justice and protecting the city, even though the city doesn't deserve it. He even cares about me, and my case closed over a year ago. Someone told me once that Gotham's golden rule is 'no heroes.' Maybe that's true, but Harvey Bullock is as close as we're ever going to get. That's what I love about him, and that's why he deserves this award."_

 _She set the paper down. "Sincerely, Alyssa Connors."_

The hotel was always busy with kids flowing in and out. It was also where Alyssa had built her makeshift school to teach the younger kids who weren't old enough to work.

But today, the lesson was interrupted.

"Connors." Harvey came into the room without knocking. "Brought someone to see you."

Alyssa's face paled when she saw the woman walk in behind him. "K-kids, go play for a while. We'll pick up the lesson later."

Several children groaned, but they all filed out the door obediently.

"...Hi Jamie..."


	30. Grown Up

Alyssa's face was pale and her eyes were glassy. Her voice shook as she spoke. "What are you doing here?"

"I was practically dragged." Jamie threw an angry look at Harvey. "Your friend said you had something to say to me. If its sorry, my response is 'too little too late.'"

"H-Harvey..." Alyssa looked at him. "I asked you not to do this, _why_ would you do this?!"

"Because its making you miserable, and I can't stand to see that!"

Jamie scoffed. "Of course she's miserable; she had our parents thrown in jail just because they wouldn't let her see her little circus freak."

"His name's Jerome." Alyssa informed.

"Don't care." Jamie shook her head and huffed. "Well, I'm here now. Might as well give me an explanation."

"You still owe me a reason. You broke apart our family, I'd like to know why."

"No you don't..." she shook her head.

"It _was_ the circus freak wasn't it? God, I was hoping you'd have a better reason."

"Okay, I'm gonna need you to start calling him Jerome." Alyssa said, her voice sounding more firm. Jamie being here was bringing up a lot of unpleasant things that Alyssa had imagined she'd be devastated over. But she wasn't devastated, she was just angry.

"Why should I? What do you care? Clearly he's more important to you than me–"

"I was protecting you, you ungrateful brat!" Alyssa finally snapped, making both other people in the room flinch.

"...What are you talking about?" Jamie asked once she'd recovered. "Protecting me from what?"

"Open your eyes, Jamie." she said lowly, stepping closer to her. "What the _hell_ did you think was going on in that house? The screaming, locking the bedroom door every night. I mean, how many times did you play doctor on me, and you still haven't figured it out?!" she shook her head. "I was fine when you were a kid, but do you know what? Time to grow up sis."

 ***Ten years ago***

 _"Are those bruises?"_

 _The then ten year old Jerome pulled his sleeve down, cursing it for slipping up to show the purple mark on his arm._

 _"J..." Alyssa took his arm and pushed the sleeve back up. Her eyes went wide with concern. "What happened?"_

 _Jerome could tell by the look in her eyes that she already knew – or at least had a pretty good idea. She just wanted him to say she was wrong._

 _For the first time since he had met her, Jerome pulled away from the older girl and shyed into himself._

 _She sighed. "Alright. You don't have to tell me. Just...remember I'm your friend."_

 _"I know." Jerome said in a small voice._

 _"And you can always trust me, always come to me for anything."_

 _Jerome looked up at her and saw what he had always wanted to see in Alyssa's eyes; sincerity. She was worried, she wanted him safe, but she wasn't going to pressure him into anything he didn't want._

 _As he always did when Alyssa Connors overwhelmed him with emotions he didn't understand, he threw his arms around and held her tightly, as though she'd disappear if he let go._

 _And she might. It was getting late and she'd have to go home. And the circus wasn't going to be in Gotham for much longer._

 _"Promise you'll come back next July?" he asked, his face buried into her shoulder. She always did, but it was still nice to have something to hold onto._

 _"Hey..." she pulled back just enough to look at him. "I've told you about a million times Jerome, I'm always gonna be here for you. You believe in me?"_

 _"...I do." he nodded._

 _"Good." she looked at him a moment and sighed. "You know...I don't know what I'm supposed to be, for you..."_

 _"Can you just be out there for me?" he asked, not wanting to ask too much of her._

 _"Yes." she said without hesitation. "I can do that. I-I wanna do that...What do you call that?"_

 _Jerome bit his lip and shook his head. "Doesn't matter what you call it. I just...wanna know that you're there."_

 _"Okay. I'm there."_

Alyssa sighed as she looked at the paintings hanging on the wall. Technically the gallery wasn't open for the day yet, but she had known how to pick locks since she was a kid.

"Fancy seeing you here."

She jumped and turned to see Barbara Kean looking at her with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"How did you get in?"

"Flimsy locks." Alyssa shrugged, turning back to her paintings. "I was thinking about what you said...about influences..."

"They're good pieces." Barbara stepped up to her side. "I just, don't think they're sending the message you want."

"Wasn't trying to send any message, I just, threw colors at a canvas."

"What about your influences?" Barbara looked at her.

She sighed. "I'm not exactly a conventional person Ms. Kean."

"Barbara, please."

"Barbara then. I grew up in this city. And, as I'm sure you may have noticed, its not exactly the best place live. Good influences are few and far between."

"You seemed to have plenty; anyone with eyes could tell those people you brought with you cared for you."

Alyssa smiled. "Yeah, I got lucky." she pointed to the painting of the picnic tables. "You see that? That's a field just outside of Gotham. Every summer a circus comes down there and I go every day to see one of the boys that lives there. We spend hours sitting at those tables. Just talking..." she pointed up to the fireworks in the starry sky. "And those are from the fourth of July. He didn't get to celebrate holidays, so I always made sure to bring fireworks for us to set off..."

"It sounds like you care about him very much." Barbara smiled.

"He was the first person I ever thought was safe." Alyssa admitted. "Even if I had to put on a show for the rest of the world, he'd always love me for me."

 ***four years ago***

 _Making friends with Lex Luthor seemed to have its advantages; he invited Alyssa and Jerome to all of the fancy parties. He said it was so she could drive him home – he tended to drink more than an eighteen year old should – but he honestly enjoyed their company. It didn't hurt that they were always up for making fun of the more snooty rich folks._

 _He and Alyssa were leaning against a table full of fancy snacks while Jerome was playing with some of the younger kids. Alyssa had stationed herself by the sweets and she didn't seem to notice the judgmental murmurs of the half-plastic women around her._

 _Lex was telling her about everyone who caught her eye as he knew them better than she did, when her eyes lit up._

 _She pointed to a well built blonde man across the room with a wide grin. "Boing!"_

 _Lex chuckled. "That's Oliver Queen, Alyssa."_

 _"Sweet, I'll be Mrs. Queen."_

 _"Oh, please don't." he groaned. "He's a year ahead of me in Excelsior. Trust me when I say he's a first rate jackass."_

 _"Let me drool over the pretty boy." Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Its not gonna go anywhere – He's the eire to a fancy business and I'm a girl living in the sticks."_

 _"With a kid." Lex added._

 _Alyssa choked on her drink. Her eyes instantly went to Jerome, who was currently pulling a quarter out of a little girl's ear._

 _She smiled. "Yeah. That too."_

Jamie Connors had been a curious girl since birth. It had gotten her into trouble all her life, and had been a worry of Alyssa's for over nine years.

But now it was Alyssa Jamie was curious about. She didn't actually talk to her sister – she wasn't quite ready for that – but she talked to other people to find out what she had been up to since they'd been separated.

And boy was she popular. Everyone she gave the name 'Alyssa Connors' to seemed to instantly respond with 'Mama Gotham.' The man at the news stand had actually handed Jamie a magazine with her sister's face on the cover – after she had paid for it of course.

It seemed that Alyssa had made a name for herself by taking in street kids. She was one of the powers in the city the kids at school had always made Jamie afraid of, but Alyssa had a much better reputation.

She dropped the name 'Kurt Connors' to a few older residents, and those that recognized the name glared at her like she was something they had found under their shoe.

The longer Jamie stayed in Gotham, the more the image she had built of her family shattered before her eyes. She tried to deny it, oh she tried to defend her parents and protest the heroism of her sister, but it got to the point where even she couldn't deny it.

 _Ring ring!_

Jaime jumped, jittery, bu realized it was only her phone. She pulled it from her pocket and frowned slightly at the caller ID. This was the _last_ thing she needed...

"Hi Mom..."

"Jamie Philips, where are you? Your roommate called and said you haven't been home in over a week!"

"Yeah...I...I came down to Gotham." she said, and before her adoptive mother could shout about the dangers of her hometown. "To see my sister."

"...Oh." was the only response the woman had to offer. Jamie didn't blame her; the first few years she had been with the Philips family, all she had done was rant angrily about Alyssa. Then as she started to assimilate into her new life, thoughts of her old one kind of faded into the background, only to be brought up now.

"Yeah..." her voice cracked. "I'm uh, I'm still figuring things out. Is it alright if I stay for a while longer?"

"Yes, yes, of course. I'll call the school and excuse your absence." she said quickly. "Baby, do you want me to come down there?"

"No, I'm fine. I-I think this is something I have to do myself."

 ***two years ago***

 _"No! No, don't let them take me_ ** _please!_** _Alyssa!_ ** _Alyssa!_** _"_

 _The poor boy was screaming himself hoarse, pulling against the policeman who had a firm grip on his arms, which were cuffed at the wrist behind his back._

 _Were it not for the cuffs and policeman holding_ ** _her_** _back, Alyssa would have gladly fulfilled the fifteen year old's request. As it was she was already putting up the same struggle to get to him as he was to get to her._

 _"No please, you don't understand, you can't give him back to her!" Alyssa shouted pulling against the man with tears in her eyes._

 _"Mam, you're being charged with kidnapping and child captivity. You have the right to remain silent-"_

 _Silence however was the last thing on Alyssa's mind. "I'll get you back J, don't worry! I'll get you back, whatever it takes, I'll get you back!"_

Alyssa paced the forensics lab at the GCPD, the word coming out of her mouth too fast for even _her_ to know what she was saying.

Still, Edward listened attentively – or maybe he was just letting her blow off steam. His eyes followed her back and forth across the room until she finally stopped to breathe.

"Feel better?" he asked her.

"Yeah." she nodded.

"Good." he stepped up and wrapped his arms around her waist somewhat stiffly. Edward still wasn't used to treating Alyssa as his girlfriend. It was odd that simple things like hugging her had become difficult to him because he knew he was holding her as her lover and not just as her best friend.

Still, Alyssa needed both at the moment, and loyally being there when she needed him was something that had always come with ease.

"Has your sister spoken to you since your confrontation?"

"No, but according to Ozzy's goons, she's still in Gotham." Alyssa sighed. "You're smart Eddie. What do I do?"

"I don't know." he shook his head.

He hadn't been meaning to, but he made her laugh slightly. "Say that again, that's rare."

"Well its an unprecedented situation. You two haven't spoken since you were kids; we don't know the kind of person Jamie's grown up to be."

"I'm not even sure I _want_ to know." she huffed, laying her head on his chest. "There was a time when my sister was the most important thing in the world to me. Now I'm finding that I care for others more. I'm not sure if I should feel guilty about that, but I don't."


	31. Safe

Alyssa hadn't heard from her sister since their original confrontation. She was not about to be the one to seek her out, but she still kept the bodyguards on her in spite of herself. She may not be very happy with Jamie, but that didn't mean she wanted her to fall victim to the city of sins.

All of her friends were worried about her, but they didn't say a word. To her credit, Alyssa was still functioning perfectly. It was just when the word 'Jamie' was mentioned that she threw whatever she had in hand at the speaker.

Right now she was attending the memorial service Falcone was having for Fish. She would have much rather been celebrating with Oswald and Maroni.

"Now Alyssa, I know you and Fish didn't get along." Falcone said, handing her a drink.

"She tried to kill me. More than once."

"I know." he chuckled as though talking about attempted murder was a normal thing. Then again, look who's talking. "But hear me out; I'd like you to take her place."

Alyssa choked on her drink. "E-excuse me?"

"You are a remarkable woman, Alyssa. Powerful, ambitious. You're a good person, but you know how to work this city. I admire that about you."

"Thank you, Don Falcone..."

He nodded. "That's why I want you to take Fish's place as my second. You'll be good for Gotham, Alyssa. Put enough elbow grease into it, you just might change this city for the better."

 ***nine months ago***

 _Knock knock knock!_

 _The young boy looked up from the desk he was doing his homework at. The woman in the doorway smiled at him._

 _"Hello, I'm looking for Gerald Crane?"_

 _"I-I'm his son, Jonathan." he stood. "Who are you?"_

 _"My name's Alyssa Connors." she stepped forward and held out her hand to shake. Jonathan hesitated to do so, but if she noticed she didn't comment on it._

 _"W-why are you looking f-for my dad?" Jonathan asked, cursing himself for stuttering. But oddly enough, she didn't seem bothered by it like everyone else. She didn't even roll her eyes._

 _"I'm trying to get teachers to sign this." she pulled a clipboard from under her arm and showed him the petition on it. "Dondilinger's been running out of reasons to keep street kids out of the school. His most recent one is that teachers wouldn't want them in their classes, so I'm trying to prove him wrong."_

 _The petition only had about three signatures, which made Jonathan feel kind of bad for her._

 _"W-why are you trying to get the street kids into school?"_

 _Alyssa raised an eyebrow. "Taking care of street kids is kinda my MO. Haven't you seen the news lately kid?"_

 _He shook his head. "Dad doesn't like it. S-says there's t-too much bad news."_

 _"Well I like to think of myself as good news. The reporters like to call me 'Mama Gotham.' I've been taking in street kids around the city for over a year now. I put them to work at the businesses I own in exchange for food and a warm bed, but I want more for my kids than to spend their whole lives mopping the floors and busing tables. And the way to do that, is to get them an education." she tapped her clipboard._

 _Jonathan was fascinated. "So you help them get a better life?"_

 _"Not just them; my corner of the city is open to anyone who needs a safe place to go. As long you pay your dues and don't mess with anything I care about, there's a spot for you at the table."_

With Mama Gotham's responsibilities rising, it was a wonder Alyssa Connors had any free time to spend annoying the GCPD.

Yet still she found herself on the roof where a dead body had been found, once again, arguing with Harvey Bullock.

"You're gonna get yourself killed!"

"Well I can't exactly pull out! When Don Falcone offers you a position of power, you say _yes!_ "

"Harvey, Alyssa." Essen came up to them, bringing their argument to a halt.

"Captain." they both nodded.

"What do we got?" she asked, used to their love-hate relationship.

"Sometime last night Mr. Lucky there got tied to that chair, noose was dropped over his neck, he was heaved over the side. Some suits comin' up for a smoke this morning found him."

"How'd he get back up to the roof?"

"See that pulley there?" Alyssa pointed behind her. "My guess, it was the killer."

"Guy went to a lot of trouble to get him back up. Why not just leave him hanging?"

Edward came up behind her and Alyssa smiled at him. "Good morning Captain." he said, his eyes flickering to his girlfriend.

"Morning Ed."

"The more you cut me, the bigger I grow. What am I?" he said with a grin.

"We're on a rooftop, Nygma." Harvey said. "Don't tempt me."

That earned him a sharp slap on the arm. "Don't even joke about a thing like that." she glared at him, but her gaze softened when she turned it to Edward. "You're a hole."

"Correct!" he praised.

"Okay, relevance?" Essen asked.

"Well there's a hole, a surgical incision, in our victim's abdomen. Certainly post-mortam. My guess, killer was looking for something. But I'll have to examine the body more fully back at the lab."

"You mean the medical examiner will."

"Well but –"

"You handle forensics, Ed. The bodies belong to Dr. Guerra. And he's made _formal_ complaints, I can't cover for you anymore."

"With all due respect Cap, your medical examiner is a putz." Alyssa informed, drawing their attention to her. "I've seen his work, its sloppy at best. Guy wouldn't know know a clue if it knocked his glasses off."

"And Ed would?" Harvey raised an eyebrow, looking between Alyssa and the genius in question.

"Stay outta this Harvey." she held up a hand to shut him up.

"Never the less, he is the medical examiner. Its _his_ job."

"...You're the Captain." Alyssa shrugged.

 ***Three years ago***

 _"Oh_ ** _this_** _is the_ ** _greatest_** _day of my life!"_

 _Lex turned away from the moving men he was directing to the young woman walking into his study._

 _"How'd you get in here?"_

 _"I told you, your security sucks." she waved him off. "What's more important is this." she held up the tabloid picture with his face on it. "Boy billionaire sent to live in the sticks!" she made a title gesture with her free hand. "I_ ** _love_** _it!"_

 _"Gimme that!" Lex tried to make a grab for the picture, but it was held from his reach._

 _"Now way! I'm puttin' this in a scrapbook!"_

 _"Did you just come to make fun of me?" he raised an eyebrow._

 _"No, I also came to welcome you to the neighborhood." Alyssa smiled. "You wanna get some coffee? There's great cafe in town."_

 _"Don't you have a teenager to watch?"_

 _"He's out with friends, come on!" she pulled on his arm._

 _"Fine, fine!" he chuckled._

Working with teenagers was a task that never failed to be interesting. Annoying, occasionally grating, but interesting nonetheless. Alyssa prided herself on knowing what was going on with all her kids – not an easy task when there were over two hundred of them.

Sure, Alyssa wouldn't say she knew _everything_ about them. One of her rules was respecting their secrets, as long as they showed up for their shifts and didn't cause too much trouble, she loved them all the same.

But she'd like to think she at least knew Selina like the back of her hand. After all, the girl was practically her daughter.

Which is why she was surprised when she walked into her apartment to find Selina slumped on the couch with her head in her hands.

"Kitten, what's wrong?"

Her head snapped up, clearly not having heard the door. This was bad; she usually had perfect hearing.

"Hey Alyssa..." Selina tried to smile at her but failed.

"Kitten..." Alyssa sat next to her.

She tried to say something else, but her voice cracked. Alyssa threw her arms around the younger girl and the embrace was returned fully. Then she felt a wet spot on her shoulder and was certain hell had frozen over.

Selina Kyle was crying.

Alyssa pulled back just enough to look at her. The wet spots on her cheeks confirmed it. She took her face in her hands and wiped the tears away with her thumbs.

"Kitten, what happened?" She asked in a soft voice, though she was having trouble reining in her anger; someone had made her daughter cry, that someone had better be hiding.

"Bruce he uh, he came back from Switzerland. He brought me snowglobe and offered to fund a 'Mama Gotham' charity project. I-I know how that sounds, but the way he put it...He said we'd be helping each other out...I'd help find who killed his parents and he'd help get me a better life..."

Alyssa sighed. "Kitten, I know its not the ideal situation –"

"No, that's not it." Selina shook her head. "I just didn't want him to see me as a charity case." she sniffed. "I like it here. I like having a place to go at night, I like working at the restaurants, I like having you as a mom, I like taking care of the little kids, and I like annoying the GCPD." she ended with a small smile.

Alyssa on the other hand was frozen with her eyes wide. "...Say that again..."

"Which part?" Selina raised an eyebrow.

"The part where you called me your mom."

The smile slipped off her face and her eyes went wide. "I-I didn't, I mean, I didn't mean –"

"Its okay Kitten." Alyssa smiled, cutting off her nervous rambling. "You don't have to say it if you don't want to. But I'm honored. I couldn't ask for a better daughter."

The tears returned to Selina's eyes but this time they were accompanied by a smile. "...M-mom..."

Alyssa's smile widened and she pulled Selina back into her arms.

 ***Three years ago***

 _Lex liked Alyssa. With her, he was always able to see the bright side of things. With her, it was easy to forget his drinking problem, his father, and why he had been sent to the town she lived in the first place._

 _Which was why, speeding along in the silver porche as she rambled about the things to do in Smallville, he did not see the fallen truck muffler until the last second._

 _The pair both remembered the wide eyes of a teenage boy, crashing off the bridge, then everything was black._

 _Alyssa's eyes shot open as she coughed up water and gasped for breath. She frowned at the worried face above her. "Clark?"_

 _He smiled. "Hey Alyssa. You okay?" he helped her sit up._

"How 'bout gettin' it right the fist time, so we don't have to keep doing this?" Harvey was yelling at someone. Alyssa wasn't listening, too busy looking over the statement from Gotham High's principal with her feet up on his desk.

"Detective Bullock?" a woman walked up to him.

"That's my name, don't wear it out." he said as he turned to look at her.

"I'm Scotty Mullins, you called me about Adam Judoski?"

"Oh y- Oh Ms. Mullins, yes, thank you for stopping by. Uh, Ms? Mrs?"

"Ms."

"Good, good. Please." he lead her up the stairs towards his desk. "So, how did you know Mr. Judoski?"

"I was his sponsor." Scotty informed. "Sort of, we're, we're in a support group together. He's dead isn't he?"

"Why would you say that?"

"This is a homicide division, you're a homicide detective." she pointed out.

"Yeah you're also talkin' about the guy in past tense; dead giveaway." Alyssa looked up from her papers to give him a sarcastic smile.

"Get outta my chair." Harvey glared at her, shooing her away.

Chuckling, Alyssa stood and tucked her papers under her arm. "Alyssa Connors, nice to meet you."

"You're Mama Gotham. I've seen you on the news." Scotty said. "What are you doing here?"

"Well when I'm not taking care of the kids I like to lend a hand around the precinct."

"Translation; she's a giant pain in my ass." Harvey said, taking his seat back. "Case and point, please?"

"Right, sorry." Scotty shook her head.

"So what kinda support group we talkin here? Booze? Pills?"

"Its for people suffering from phobias."

"You're joking." Harvey said with a slight smile.

"Fear can be debilitating, it helps to talk to someone about it. Don't be an ass."

"Excuse me?"

"You were about to make fun. Don't be an ass."

Alyssa snickered. "I _like_ you, Scotty Mullins."

Harvey threw her a glare but surrendered. "You're right. I'm sorry, I was. No fun making." he held up his hands. "Um, what was Mr. Judoski's phobia?"

"Heights." Scotty informed.

"Oh boy." Alyssa bit her lip. "So if he was found dangling from the top of a tall building..."

"Oh my god, is that how he-"

"We're gonna need the names of in the support group."

"Its, completely anonymous, Adam was the only one I knew personally. You don't think someone from the group could've did this?"

"Could be. Killer certainly seemed to know of his phobia." he leaned back in his chair. "...Are you Irish? You seem like you could be Irish?"

"What's it to you?" Scotty asked while Alyssa looked between them with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothin'. I'm just curious. When's the next meeting?"

"Tonight. Six o'clock."

"And these things they usually run, what an hour?"

"Mmhmm." Scotty nodded.

"So, you could, maybe go to dinner, ."

"Hypothetically."

"Okay. Well, I'm gonna keep working the case, and I'm gonna call you if I feel the need to go to this meeting." he stood and faced her. "We're gonna find who did this. I promise, Ms. Mullins."

"Okay." she nodded before walking away.

"Harvey's got a _girlfriend_." Alyssa sang once she was gone.

"Shut up Connors." he glared at her before turning back to look the way Scotty had gone. "...You think she liked me?"

"I think _you_ liked _her_. Otherwise I wouldn't have said 'Harvey's got a _girlfriend_.'"

"Do you have to be on all the time?" he rounded on her with an angry look.

"Well no, its just more fun that way." she shrugged.

 ***Three years ago***

 _Admittedly, Alyssa had always thought there was something off about Clark Kent._

 _Every now and then something odd would happen that would have to be brushed off. Alyssa didn't pry, she respected secrets and was too busy with Jerome to look into it very much anyway._

 _Speaking of Jerome..._

 _"Let me through! Let me through!" he pushed through the crowd around the bridge. "Alyssa!"_

 _"Jerome!" she jumped up, ignoring the protest of the person examining her._

 _The redhead was quick to throw his arms around her before stepping back to look her over. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"_

 _"I'm find J, thanks to Clark. He saved me and Lex."_

 _Jerome's eyes went to the farm boy that was his age. They had met a few times, but they weren't exactly friends. But that didn't stop Jerome from running over to him._

 _"Thank you." he said, drawing the boy's attention. "You saved her, thank you."_

"Ozzy, _fourth_ message." Alyssa said bitterly into the answering machine. "You better not have dropped off the face of the earth again. Call me back."

Clicking the end button on her phone, Alyssa finally gave up on trying to get ahold on her partner in crime. She hadn't heard from him in days, and she was worried.

As she always did when she had to get her emotions out, she picked up a brush.

The painting was just starting to take shape when there was a knock on her door. Dropping her brush in the water cup, Alyssa brushed her hands on her smock and went to open it.

"Eddie." she smiled.

"Hello Alyssa." his smile seemed slightly forced before his eyes fell on her attire. "Have you been painting?"

"Oh, yeah." Alyssa said, glancing down at her smock.

"May I see your work?"

"Uh, if you want." she nodded and stepped aside. "Not sure if its done though."

"I'm sure it'll be wonderful." he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. His eyes were immediately drawn to the canvas sitting on the easel across the room. "Is that...me?" he frowned, stepping towards it.

Alyssa turned to look, seeming just as surprised as he was. "Uh...yeah, I suppose it is..." she looked down, blushing.

"Its amazing..." he trailed, his fingers ghosting across it, not really touching it for fear of the wet paint.

"...Thanks. Eddie, not that I'm complaining, but why are you here?"

Edward looked up and had to take a moment to recall. "Oh yes." he straightened and stepped away from the wet canvas. "I came to tell you that I've been suspended from the GCPD until further notice."

"What? Why? What happened?" Alyssa frowned.

"I uh, reached my limit of warnings with the medical examiner it would seem."

"That clown?" she huffed. "Ugh, I've told Essen a thousand times to just boot him and give you the job –"

"You have? You never told me that."

"What's to tell?" she shrugged. "You and I both know he's not fit for his job, heck if anything he holds the cases back."

He chuckled. "...Just when I think you've stopped surprising me, Alyssa Connors."

"An outcome even Edward Nygma can't predict. I _am_ good." she smirked.

"Yes you are..." he stepped up and laid his hand on her cheek. "I-is this okay?"

"You think too much poindexter." Alyssa pulled on his tie and bought his lips to hers. Edward was surprised, but returned the kiss fully.

 ***Five months ago***

 _"Lights out people, come on, you know when curfew is!"_

 _"M-Ms. Connors?"_

 _"What?" Alyssa turned as she came down the stairs of her hotel and frowned. "Johnathan? What are you doing her?"_

 _"M-My dad, he's uh, he's working late tonight. I-I don't wanna be by myself, so I was...wondering i-if there might be a-a place for me here?"_

 _She smiled softly. "Always room for anyone who needs it." she stepped forward and reached for his hand. "Come on, I'll find ya a bed."_

"Remind me again, why you're dragging me to this thing?" Alyssa complained as Harvey pulled her towards the building by her wrist.

"I told you, its part of the case."

"Okay, since when do you willingly let me be part of a case?" she raised an eyebrow. Harvey didn't answer, making Alyssa dig her heels into the pavement and bring them to a stop. "Harvey. What's going on?" he opened his mouth. "The _truth_."

He sighed. "Honestly? Thought it might be good for you."

"Good how?" Alyssa's voice instantly became guarded.

"Good how you've been different since you came back to Gotham. Good how I _know_ there's things you're not telling me, and I respect that, I just..."

"Just what?"

"...I'm worried about you."

"What?"

" _Don't_ make me say it again, Connors."

Alyssa was silent, but she smiled. She wasn't too keen on sharing her story – let alone with Harvey in the room, but she could admit a few things just for the sake of easing the old detective's mind.

Besides, she wanted to see if _he_ said anything.

And say things he did.

"I'm afraid every day. I'm afraid I'm gonna die, in alley, bleedin' out while some scumbag goes through my pockets, and laughs at me. And I try to speak, but nothin' comes out. And I just lie there, starin' at a small space a sky between the buildings, thinkin' about all the stupid things I did, all the stupid things I _didn't_ do." he glanced at Alyssa in the chair next to him. "And then I die. Alone. I don't wanna die alone in some gutter, having a million regrets. I wanna die in a warm, cozy bed, in the arms of a beautiful woman. And I want die knowin' I've got people to show up at my funeral."

"...Thank you for sharing Harvey." Scotty said, and everyone in the circle clapped. "And now, I believe Ms. Connors, wanted to share?"

Alyssa took a breath. "Okay, this is somethin' I'm doinn', fine. Honestly, not much scares me. I grew up in Gotham, and that doesn't really kindle a kid's innocence...But uh...I guess its not really me I'm scared for." she chose her words carefully. "I mean those kids have got no place else to go, they need me. Without them, what am I?" she shrugged. "I mean, I was like them once. I was alone...nobody cared about me, even the people who were supposed to left me to rot." she scoffed. "If I'm honest, I guess that's what I'm scared of. I don't wanna put myself out there and get attached just to be left out to dry. I wanna have people I can depend on, who I can just show up, and they'll be there to help me." she glanced at Harvey. "Cuz that's what family is."

"...Thank you for that, Alyssa." Scotty smiled, everyone clapped again. "Would, anyone else like to share?"

A man sitting across from her stood up and Alyssa frowned when she recognized him as Gerald Crane. She barely knew him, but she had come to know his son rather well. Johnathan had developed a habit of coming by the hotel when his father was 'working late.' He had even convinced his father to sign her petition to get the kids into Gotham High.

"My name is Tod. And, I've never spoken here before, but, I have a horrible terror of failure. I torment myself, and those around me I'd crawl upon broken glass to avoid failing. About anything. I inherited this illness from my father but, _I'm_ afraid I'm passing it on to my _son_..." he stuttered over whatever it was he tried to say next, making Scotty offer support.

"We're here for you Tod."

He nodded and continued. "When I came home from work yesterday, my precious son was crying and, he said to me that he –..." he shook his head, tears pooling behind his glasses. "I'm sorry." he grabbed his coat from the back of his chair and ran out of the room. Scotty ran after him, calling his name.

Alyssa gave it about ten minutes before she smacked Harvey on the arm. "We gotta go." she said standing and grabbing her coat.

"Why?" he frowned.

"I just solved another one of your cases, now move your ass." she ran for the door. "See ya phobic people!"

 ***Five months ago***

 _The working late excuse was wearing thin. Johnathan showed up too often, and no teacher works that late. Alyssa half expected the over paranoid man she had only met a few times to burst through her door and demand she stay away from his son._

 _But he didn't, which left her to worry. She gave it two weeks, in which Johnathan showed up six out of the fourteen days, before she started asking._

 _"Johnathan, you trust me right?"_

 _"Yeah, of course." he nodded. His stuttering had been getting better lately._

 _"So, you'd tell me if something was wrong, if anything was going on at your house?"_

 _"W-What do you mean?"_

 _She gave him a look. "Johnny. I offer a safe home for people who need it; you wouldn't be here unless you needed it."_

 _"Well t-that's just it." he said. "Its safe here. I feel safe. I-I don't get a lot of that."_

They ran as fast as they could, but they weren't fast enough. They came outside just as the car was speeding away.

Despite Alyssa being the one who had figured out that 'Tod' had taken Scotty, the Boyscout wasn't listening to her when she told him who he really was.

"Other members say our abductor's been coming the last month. Said his name was Tod, but group protocol requires they remain anonymous." Gordon was telling Essen. "No real ID."

"For the fifth time Boyscout, his name's Gerald Crane. He's a science teacher at Gotham High."

"And why the hell should I believe anything you say?" he turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Hm?"

Alyssa scoffed. "Name, a _single_ time, I have ever been wrong about _anything_."

"How would you know him?"

"I've been going down to the high school for ages, trying to convince the principal to let my kids enroll. But that's beside the point. Run the goddamn records if you have to; Dr. Gerald Crane."

"Listen to the girl Gordon." Essen said.

"Why the hell is she always involved in my cases anyway?"

" _Listen_ , to the girl." Essen said more sternly.

Gordon huffed and went to run the name.

"Ya know Cap, when he arrested Flass a lot of people made bets on who'd do him in. And six people have their money on me."

"You hated Flass." she frowned.

"Startin' to hate the boyscout more."

 ***Four moths ago***

 _Johnathan had been coming to the hotel enough that he now had to start pulling his weight. He helped make dinner, he helped make sure the younger kids stayed in bed, he even helped make sure the books were straight, because as it turned out Johnathan Crane was very smart._

 _Alyssa and the others got used to having him around. He had become part of the family, and you could tell he loved that._

 _When he wasn't in his bed at night, he stuck to Alyssa mostly. He'd liked watching her work; there was something amazing about seeing someone completely in their element._

 _"How do you do it?" he asked her one night when she was looking over the hotel book to make sure everyone had signed in to show they'd made it back._

 _"Do what?"_

 _"This. E-Everything. You're taking care of over t-two hundred kids and I've never seen you forget any of their names."_

 _She shrugged. "They're family. Sure, its a big family, but that just makes it better."_

 _"But, y-you're doing it all on your own."_

 _"Not really. Some of the kids that've grown up have stuck around to help, and those that haven't have gotten rich and send checks every month." she smiled. "My kids are amazing. They're smart, they're resourceful, they just need someone to teach them how to use that. Preferably for good."_

 _"...M-Ms. Connors?"_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"Thank you."_

 _"For what?"_

 _"J-Just for taking me in. For having my back. I-I mean, you barely know me and you did it without a second thought."_

 _Alyssa smiled at him. "Don't be silly Johnathan; you're part of the family now. That means we take care of you, damn your life outside of us."_

"Ugh, I never get to go on any of the busts!" Alyssa huffed, flopping back in Harvey's chair as he and his partner ran off.

"Boss?" one of the cops came up towards Essen's office holding a severed arm.

"Uh, not now Joe." she tried to wave him off before the arm caught her eye. "Wait. Tell me that's not what I think it is?"

"Can I come on _this_ bust?" Alyssa asked her, looking like an eager child.

Essen sighed. "Sure."

"Yay!"

There was something _very_ satisfying about getting to lock someone you've never liked in handcuffs and read him his rights.

Well, sort of...

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You've also got the right to an attorney. If you can't afford an attorney, tough luck asshat! You're screwed!"

"Is she allowed to do this?!" The former medical examiner demanded.

"Eh, she's been askin' to do it for years." Essen shrugged. "I figure, let her have her fun."

Alyssa laughed with a big grin, pushing the man forward. "Thanks Cap! You're the best!"

They past a very confused Edward on their way to the holding cell, who watched as Alyssa threw him in and slammed the barred door shut.

"I just wanted the pleasure of doing that myself." she said with a satisfied grin.

"Ed, you're reinstated." Essen said, looking rather exhausted as she walked past them.

"Thank you Captain!" Edward called after her.

"Come on! Lets go celebrate!" Alyssa grabbed his wrist and pulled him along.


	32. Being Brave

Alyssa fumbled with her keys as she pushed Edward against the door. She could taste the alchol on his breath, or maybe it was just her own. Either way Edward was a lot more handsy once he had a few in him.

Even then, Alyssa was the one who had to drive. He was far too much of a gentleman to do anything on his own, so he just went off the cues she gave him.

They both stumbled back as Alyssa managed to get the door open. She kicked it shut behind her, pulling away to catch her breath.

"Wow..." Edward pulled off his glasses to wipe away the fog that had clouded them.

She chuckled. "You have lipstick on your face." He blushed slightly, going to wipe it off, but she caught his hand. "Don't bother, Eddie. Wipe it off, its bound to be replaced." she smirked.

His blush only intensified. "Alyssa...I was wondering..."

"Yes?"

"Are we – I mean, could we be considered a couple?"

"Well I certainly hope so, otherwise I have no idea what you're doing here."

Edward chuckled nervously. "I'm sorry, I just, this is all new to me..."

"Don't worry, Eddie." she stepped up, taking both his hands and lacing their fingers together. "I'm right here with you."

"H-have you ever had a relationship before?" he asked her, realizing that he didn't know.

"A couple." Alyssa admitted. "Never anything serious though."

"And this is serious?"

"Do you want it to be?"

Edward took a moment, not wanting to give her a rushed answer. Alyssa was his opposite in every sense of the word, yet he was drawn to her like a magnet. He'd taken a chance to see if the feelings he had for her were stronger than friendship, and by god they were.

She was captivating. She always had been, but now he got to add kissing him and touching him to the ways she could make his mind foggy.

"Yes."

 _Ring ring!_

"Claire, you need to share the toys! David, leave Hunter alone! And has anyone seen Alexis?"

 _Ring ring!_

Fumbling to push two fighting boys off each other, Alyssa was finally able to reach her phone. "Yes, hello!"

"Alyssa, I was beginning to worry."

She stood up abruptly, making the boys pushing against her stumble into the ground. "Don Falcone! I-I'm sorry, what can I do for you?"

"My dear you have experience in running businesses, yes?"

"Yes sir!"

"Well I was hoping you could come down to Fish's old place, give the new management a few pointers."

"Of course, I can do that. May I ask who I'd be working with?"

"Oswald Cobblepot."

After smacking him for disappearing on her again, Alyssa only got to help Oswald plan the redesign of the bar for a few hours before Jim called her into the GCPD.

"The man from the support group, what do you know about him?" Jim demanded with a supior attitude.

"I told you already. Look, I dug this out to prove it." she pulled a Gotham High yearbook from the bag at her hip. Flipping it open, she found the page she was looking for and held it out to him. "There see? Gerald Crane, biology teacher at Gotham High."

Jim frowned, looking down at the picture and the description that matched what Alyssa was saying. "Harvey!" he ran over to his partner, leaving Alyssa to follow. "This the guy?" he handed him the yearbook.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's him." Harvey nodded. "So you finally decided to listen to Alyssa huh?"

"You were telling the truth." Jim sighed.

"I do that _very_ often, and yet you're always surprised." Alyssa clapped. "Right! Now that we're all on the same page, lets get some work done shall we?"

Alyssa _loved_ when she got to come on cases. She liked taking down the bad guys without all the obligation to follow cop rules.

But she hated Gotham High and everything in it. Namely...

"Connors?"

She gave a very fake smile. "Hello Dondelinger."

"What the hell are you doing here? You're not here to try and get those rats of yours into my school again are you?"

Her smile fell. "No, today I'm here on a police investigation."

"What?"

"Detective James Gordon." Jim held up his badge. "GCPD."

The old man laughed. "What's all this then?"

"We need to ask you a few questions about one of your teachers; Gerald Crane."

Dondelinger went pale and Alyssa's smile returned, real this time. "So much for this years's bonus."

"Gerald hasn't come into work for a few weeks." Dondelinger walked around his desk while the detective's took the seats in front of it. Alyssa stood, shifting slightly. It felt odd to be back in here. "He's a good teacher, focused, stern, never tried to make friends with the children. He did sign Ms. Connors' petition, but that was only because his son asked him to."

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Your hatred of me since I was fourteen _aside,_ we need to find him and Jonathan. Like, _yesterday_."

"Did Crane ever talk about fear?" Harvey asked. "Phobia?"

"Why?" the principal was suddenly far mare interested. "Is someone targeting phobics? Killing them?"

"Yeah." Jim nodded.

"These victims...we're they missing their adrenal glands?"

"How'd you know that?" Alyssa raised an eyebrow.

Once again looking pale, Dondelinger turned and looked through a stack of things on his desk until he found a booklet. "This is an academic paper that Gerald wrote a few months ago. He asked me to proof it for him." he handed the booklet to Jim, but Alyssa snatched it quickly, opening it to read through. "Now, I can't make heads or tales of the science of it, but I'll never forget what he wrote about; the man had a theory that fear was an evolutionary flaw in humans. War, rape, theft, it was all caused by fear. He was obsessed with it."

"So he killed all these people and took their glands to test a theory?" Jim asked, trying and failing to take the booklet back from Alyssa.

"No." she shook her head. "He wasn't trying to prove he was right about fear. According to this he was trying to cure himself of it."

Back at the GCPD, Edward flipped through the booklet while Alyssa read over his shoulder.

"Crane's idea of curing fear was to inoculate himself against it."

"Like a disease?" Jim asked.

"Exactly, but in order to do so, he needed a condensed source of the hormones that caused fear."

"Phobics." Harvey realized.

"Crane's praying on them? Spiking their fear and then killing them in order to harvest the hormones?" Jim worked out.

"Damn. That's actually pretty smart." Alyssa said, getting her a look from both detectives. "Well it is!"

"How much of this stuff does he need?" Jim asked Edward.

"What do you mean?" he said absently, too interested in the booklet.

"How many more people is he gonna kill?" Harvey said, annoyed.

"Oh. Of course, good question." he thought slightly. "Depends on how scared he is, I guess. What's he scared of?"

"In Scotty's phobia support group, he said he was afraid of failure." Harvey said, sniffing something in a beaker, making Edward come up and snatch it from him.

"Who isn't?" Jim sighed. "Its gotta be somethin' else."

"Did you hear?" Edward asked Harvey.

"Hear what?"

"That we got a new medical examiner? _Much_ better than the old one. And she smells nice..."

Alyssa smacked his arm. "Ahem, girlfriend present."

"Girlfriend?" Harvey asked while Edward blushed. "Since when?"

"Um, about a month and half now..." Edward said.

"And you neglected to tell me this why?" Harvey looked at Alyssa.

"Because its none of your damn business." she glared at him, leaning her head on Edward's shoulder. His arm went around her waist automatically. "Besides, we've known each other since we were kids."

"It was bound to happen eventually." Edward nodded and kissed her cheek.

Harvey scoffed. "Unbelievable! You two have nothing in common; how are you so close?"

"He/She keeps me centered." they said at the same time.

"Look at this." Jim spoke up, tapping the booklet. "Crane developed protocols, for _two_ inoculations. Himself, _and_ somebody else. Subject B."

"Oooo, I wonder who that is." Edward stepped up and took the booklet back from him.

"I have a hunch." Alyssa said, looking slightly pale. "I just hope I'm wrong."

"Come onnnn, pick up, pick up, pick up..." Alyssa muttered, tapping impatiently on the desk in her office.

" _Y-You've reached Jonathan Crane, l-leave a message._ "

She huffed. "This is the _30th_ call you haven't answered, I'm startin' to get homicidal. _Call me back Johnathan_. I'm _worried_ about you." she hung up and threw the phone at the cushiony chair in front of her desk. Sighing, Alyssa ran her hands through her hair, trying to convince herself that he was fine; that he was smart enough not to be involved in his dad's plans.

A sharp knock on her door made her look up.

"What?"

"Its Oswald. May I come in?"

"...Yeah, sure..."

The door opened and Oswald closed it behind him. "I just wanted the pleasure of delivering this myself." he held out the black invitation with silver writing with a proud smile. "Hot off the press! VIP status; the least I could do with all you did to help me open the place."

Alyssa sighed. "Ozzy, you know I love when you spoil me, but I'm just not sure I'm up for a party."

The smile fell from his face. "What's wrong?" he stepped closer to her. "Have you been crying?"

She bit her lip. "Uh, one of my kids is missing. And, the case Jimbo is working is tracking down his dad for murder. So now, he could get hurt, or-or her could be involved in it, and I don't –" her voice cracked and she held a hand over her mouth.

"Alyssa..." Oswald limped up to her and wrapped his arms around her. "It'll be okay. The kids you raise are some of the most remarkable people I've ever met. You taught them to get out of anything; to always return home."

"I-I know, I'm just, I'm just worried about him..."

"Tell me his name." he pulled back just enough to look at her. "I'll put some men out on him and his father."

"Y-You don't have to –"

"I _want_ to." he cut her off. "If not that, then what? How can I help you, please I want to help you."

Unfortunately, Alyssa's could not go on hold simply because she was worried. She still had kids to take care of, reporters to fend off, and apparently a party to attend.

Why the hell had she gone into business again?

As if to remind her, her phone rang. Thinking it was Johnathan, she was quick to pull it out of her pocket. She huffed in annoyance however when she saw the caller ID.

"I'm busy Dent, this had better be important."

"Oh, its the most important thing in the _world_. Stanley Turnable has gone missing."

"So?" Alyssa frowned. Stanley Turnable was the Chief Judge in Gotham and had single handedly kept her from winning custody of Jerome for the last four years. Both she and Harvey couldn't stand the man.

"So, your case has been moved to the next judge available. Namely; Melanie Martinez."

"You're _kidding_." the district attorney suddenly had her full attention. Melanie Martinez was one of the few Gotham officials who was actually a decent person. She had been the one to sign off on making Alyssa's 'Mama Gotham' project an official charity, and had saved more than one of her kids from juvy.

"Nope! When Haly's Circus returns to Gotham this weekend, we will finally be able to get your boy away from there."

" _Ha!_ Thank you, _finally_ something goes right today!" Alyssa cheered.

Harvey chuckled. "I'll draw up the paperwork, you get Jerome to the court house. Say, ten o'clock on Saturday?"

"Yes, yes absolutely! Thank you! Harvey Dent, you're a saint and I love you!"

"Happy to help."

Close to hyperventilating, Johnathan tore from the house. He hated doing this, he hated having to see the scarecrow everywhere he went.

Running his fingers though his hair he tried to focus on something else. The Safe Haven Hotel. The kids who pouted and threw their pencils when he tried to teach them math and they didn't understand it. Alyssa; the woman who managed to stay so level-headed and in control no matter what was thrown at her.

She wouldn't be afraid. Johnathan was certain Alyssa Connors wasn't afraid of anything.

Alyssa...He had turned off his phone hours ago to stop the constant buzzing. He hated not being able to answer her calls, knowing she was probably worried sick. God, what would she say? If she knew what he was involved in now, she'd probably never want to see him again.

"Johnny!" his dad's voice called after him. "We've started the protocol, it must be completed, it will be harmful for you otherwise!"

"I c-can't I can't do it again." he shook his head. His stuttering was coming back, this wasn't a good sign.

"Think of it Johnny! No more fear."

"I-I'm not I'm not even afraid like you!"

"We're all afraid!" he exclaimed. "Every man and woman on the planet! We're all standing at the edge of the abyss, paralyzed by fear!"

Johnathan stumbled back for every step his father took forward.

 _'I-It doesn't scare you?'_

 _'There's no reason to be scared when you've got people to protect you.'_

Her voice echoed in his head, making him bend over and rub at his temples. His dad laid a hand on his back.

"Come on son, trust me. I just want to help you. And mankind." he pulled up back up to a standing position. "Mankind, Johnny. Now you must be brave, hmm?"

 _'Y-You're very brave, Ms. Connors.'_

 _'So are you.'_

"Come on son, are you with me? Lets go back to the house, it'll all be over before you know it. I promise! Come on..." he wrapped an arm around his shoulders and lead him back inside.

The party wasn't exactly raving, and the lone man with a spiked mohawk rocking out to the band was just sad.

But Alyssa kept her mouth shut, sipping her second glass of champagne and standing next to the club owner.

"You can say it." Oswald huffed.

"Say what?" she looked at him with an innocent expression.

He rolled his eyes. "Even when you stay quiet for my sake, you're still the bluntest person I know. You just say it with your eyes."

She bit her lip. "If it makes you feel any better, place looked worse when Fish first opened."

"It does." he nodded with a small smile, clinking his glass with her's.

"Penguin." a familiar voice made them look up. "And the infamous Mama Gotham, right?" Eyes wide, Oswald quickly tried to run for it, but was cut off. "Where you goin'?"

"Don Maroni." Alyssa gave the man a fake smile.

"Such a pleasure to see you." Oswald said.

"Look at you. From the trunk of my car, to running your own club. The place looks good Penguin." he looked around with a small chuckle. "Hell of a turn out. Though I'm not quite sure why Falcone's chairty case is here." his eyes went to Alyssa.

"Business venture." she said curtly.

"How 'bout a table?" Oswald asked, not liking the way Maroni was looking at his friend. "Drinks? My, complements of course."

"Expensive stuff." Maroni said, looking at the bottle on the table the pair had been leaning against. "Lemme see." he picked it up. "I had a little chat with Falcone. I came here to let you know that all is coshire between us." he smacked Oswald lightly, making him flinch. "Long as you don't go telling Falcone anymore of my secrets."

"No. Nothing like that."

"Course not. Grab a glass."

Oswald turned and picked up a fresh glass of champagne for the Don. He was about to hand it to him when the hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"You better hope that old man Falcone lives a long life." Maroni said darkly, pouring into the glass until it overflowed. "Cuz the _second_ , he's outta the picture, so are you." he patted Oswald on the back and left with his men.

Alyssa reached for a bar rag and offered it to him. Nodding in thanks, he set the glass down and wiped the alchol off his hand.

"If I get floated down another river because of you, just know that I'll stop being your friend then." she said in a half-joking manner.

"Fair enough." Oswald smiled slightly.

They both knew nothing could split them up.

Alyssa ran down the hall of the hospital as fast as her legs could carry her. Too fast infact, as when she reached her destination she stumbled and nearly fell, only to be caught by the man she was slowly beginning to resent.

"Boyscout, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"I'm here for Johnathan, Harvey called and said you found him."

"Yeah, well..." he nodded to the room's window.

Johnathan was there, in a hospital gown, strapped to the bed convulsing like he was having a non-stop seizure.

"Oh my god, what happened?" she demanded.

"Well, the boy received a massive dose of condensed hormones." the doctor said. "Cortazone, adrenaline. And another compound we're still trying to identify. Combination nearly killed him."

"But he's gonna live, right?"

"Yes...But we ran a cat scan in order to determine if he suffered any brain damage, the results well, we've never seen anything like them before. The hormones have long since worn off, but the effects, they seem to be lingering?"

"Yeah, its called being scared outta your mind." Alyssa said bluntly. "He just needs to be somewhere he feels safe. Even if it doesn't fix everything, its bound to help."

"And where exactly would safe be?" Jim gave her a look.

"My hotel. He used to come down when his dad was 'working late.'"

"You knew him personally and you didn't think to tell me during the case?!"

"Name one troubled child in this city I _don't_ know personally." she glared at him. "I asked him a couple times why he kept coming and he said he felt safe there." she turned to the doctor. "What do I have to sign for you to let me take him home?"

"You must be joking, the boy is in need of sever medical attention, he can't be moved."

"I told you, what he needs is safety! What part of being strapped to a hospital bed do you think makes him feel safe?" she walked around him and the detective, into the hospital room.

"Ms. Connors/Alyssa!" they both called after her, but they were ignored.

"Johnathan?" she stepped up to the bed and laid her hand over his. His eyes snapped to her's. Much to the surprise of those around him, he stopped convulsing, but he did twitch slightly. "Hey, its okay. You're safe now. Everything's gonna be okay."


	33. Fireworks

Alyssa fumbled with her keys as she pushed Edward against the door. She could taste the alchol on his breath, or maybe it was just her own. Either way Edward was a lot more handsy once he had a few in him.

Even then, Alyssa was the one who had to drive. He was far too much of a gentleman to do anything on his own, so he just went off the cues she gave him.

They both stumbled back as Alyssa managed to get the door open. She kicked it shut behind her, pulling away to catch her breath.

"Wow..." Edward pulled off his glasses to wipe away the fog that had clouded them.

She chuckled. "You have lipstick on your face." He blushed slightly, going to wipe it off, but she caught his hand. "Don't bother, Eddie. Wipe it off, its bound to be replaced." she smirked.

His blush only intensified. "Alyssa...I was wondering..."

"Yes?"

"Are we – I mean, could we be considered a couple?"

"Well I certainly hope so, otherwise I have no idea what you're doing here."

Edward chuckled nervously. "I'm sorry, I just, this is all new to me..."

"Don't worry, Eddie." she stepped up, taking both his hands and lacing their fingers together. "I'm right here with you."

"H-have you ever had a relationship before?" he asked her, realizing that he didn't know.

"A couple." Alyssa admitted. "Never anything serious though."

"And this is serious?"

"Do you want it to be?"

Edward took a moment, not wanting to give her a rushed answer. Alyssa was his opposite in every sense of the word, yet he was drawn to her like a magnet. He'd taken a chance to see if the feelings he had for her were stronger than friendship, and by god they were.

She was captivating. She always had been, but now he got to add kissing him and touching him to the ways she could make his mind foggy.

"Yes."

 _Ring ring!_

"Claire, you need to share the toys! David, leave Hunter alone! And has anyone seen Alexis?"

 _Ring ring!_

Fumbling to push two fighting boys off each other, Alyssa was finally able to reach her phone. "Yes, hello!"

"Alyssa, I was beginning to worry."

She stood up abruptly, making the boys pushing against her stumble into the ground. "Don Falcone! I-I'm sorry, what can I do for you?"

"My dear you have experience in running businesses, yes?"

"Yes sir!"

"Well I was hoping you could come down to Fish's old place, give the new management a few pointers."

"Of course, I can do that. May I ask who I'd be working with?"

"Oswald Cobblepot."

After smacking him for disappearing on her again, Alyssa only got to help Oswald plan the redesign of the bar for a few hours before Jim called her into the GCPD.

"The man from the support group, what do you know about him?" Jim demanded with a supior attitude.

"I told you already. Look, I dug this out to prove it." she pulled a Gotham High yearbook from the bag at her hip. Flipping it open, she found the page she was looking for and held it out to him. "There see? Gerald Crane, biology teacher at Gotham High."

Jim frowned, looking down at the picture and the description that matched what Alyssa was saying. "Harvey!" he ran over to his partner, leaving Alyssa to follow. "This the guy?" he handed him the yearbook.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's him." Harvey nodded. "So you finally decided to listen to Alyssa huh?"

"You were telling the truth." Jim sighed.

"I do that _very_ often, and yet you're always surprised." Alyssa clapped. "Right! Now that we're all on the same page, lets get some work done shall we?"

Alyssa _loved_ when she got to come on cases. She liked taking down the bad guys without all the obligation to follow cop rules.

But she hated Gotham High and everything in it. Namely...

"Connors?"

She gave a very fake smile. "Hello Dondelinger."

"What the hell are you doing here? You're not here to try and get those rats of yours into my school again are you?"

Her smile fell. "No, today I'm here on a police investigation."

"What?"

"Detective James Gordon." Jim held up his badge. "GCPD."

The old man laughed. "What's all this then?"

"We need to ask you a few questions about one of your teachers; Gerald Crane."

Dondelinger went pale and Alyssa's smile returned, real this time. "So much for this years's bonus."

"Gerald hasn't come into work for a few weeks." Dondelinger walked around his desk while the detective's took the seats in front of it. Alyssa stood, shifting slightly. It felt odd to be back in here. "He's a good teacher, focused, stern, never tried to make friends with the children. He did sign Ms. Connors' petition, but that was only because his son asked him to."

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "Your hatred of me since I was fourteen _aside,_ we need to find him and Jonathan. Like, _yesterday_."

"Did Crane ever talk about fear?" Harvey asked. "Phobia?"

"Why?" the principal was suddenly far mare interested. "Is someone targeting phobics? Killing them?"

"Yeah." Jim nodded.

"These victims...we're they missing their adrenal glands?"

"How'd you know that?" Alyssa raised an eyebrow.

Once again looking pale, Dondelinger turned and looked through a stack of things on his desk until he found a booklet. "This is an academic paper that Gerald wrote a few months ago. He asked me to proof it for him." he handed the booklet to Jim, but Alyssa snatched it quickly, opening it to read through. "Now, I can't make heads or tales of the science of it, but I'll never forget what he wrote about; the man had a theory that fear was an evolutionary flaw in humans. War, rape, theft, it was all caused by fear. He was obsessed with it."

"So he killed all these people and took their glands to test a theory?" Jim asked, trying and failing to take the booklet back from Alyssa.

"No." she shook her head. "He wasn't trying to prove he was right about fear. According to this he was trying to cure himself of it."

Back at the GCPD, Edward flipped through the booklet while Alyssa read over his shoulder.

"Crane's idea of curing fear was to inoculate himself against it."

"Like a disease?" Jim asked.

"Exactly, but in order to do so, he needed a condensed source of the hormones that caused fear."

"Phobics." Harvey realized.

"Crane's praying on them? Spiking their fear and then killing them in order to harvest the hormones?" Jim worked out.

"Damn. That's actually pretty smart." Alyssa said, getting her a look from both detectives. "Well it is!"

"How much of this stuff does he need?" Jim asked Edward.

"What do you mean?" he said absently, too interested in the booklet.

"How many more people is he gonna kill?" Harvey said, annoyed.

"Oh. Of course, good question." he thought slightly. "Depends on how scared he is, I guess. What's he scared of?"

"In Scotty's phobia support group, he said he was afraid of failure." Harvey said, sniffing something in a beaker, making Edward come up and snatch it from him.

"Who isn't?" Jim sighed. "Its gotta be somethin' else."

"Did you hear?" Edward asked Harvey.

"Hear what?"

"That we got a new medical examiner? _Much_ better than the old one. And she smells nice..."

Alyssa smacked his arm. "Ahem, girlfriend present."

"Girlfriend?" Harvey asked while Edward blushed. "Since when?"

"Um, about a month and half now..." Edward said.

"And you neglected to tell me this why?" Harvey looked at Alyssa.

"Because its none of your damn business." she glared at him, leaning her head on Edward's shoulder. His arm went around her waist automatically. "Besides, we've known each other since we were kids."

"It was bound to happen eventually." Edward nodded and kissed her cheek.

Harvey scoffed. "Unbelievable! You two have nothing in common; how are you so close?"

"He/She keeps me centered." they said at the same time.

"Look at this." Jim spoke up, tapping the booklet. "Crane developed protocols, for _two_ inoculations. Himself, _and_ somebody else. Subject B."

"Oooo, I wonder who that is." Edward stepped up and took the booklet back from him.

"I have a hunch." Alyssa said, looking slightly pale. "I just hope I'm wrong."

"Come onnnn, pick up, pick up, pick up..." Alyssa muttered, tapping impatiently on the desk in her office.

" _Y-You've reached Jonathan Crane, l-leave a message._ "

She huffed. "This is the _30th_ call you haven't answered, I'm startin' to get homicidal. _Call me back Johnathan_. I'm _worried_ about you." she hung up and threw the phone at the cushiony chair in front of her desk. Sighing, Alyssa ran her hands through her hair, trying to convince herself that he was fine; that he was smart enough not to be involved in his dad's plans.

A sharp knock on her door made her look up.

"What?"

"Its Oswald. May I come in?"

"...Yeah, sure..."

The door opened and Oswald closed it behind him. "I just wanted the pleasure of delivering this myself." he held out the black invitation with silver writing with a proud smile. "Hot off the press! VIP status; the least I could do with all you did to help me open the place."

Alyssa sighed. "Ozzy, you know I love when you spoil me, but I'm just not sure I'm up for a party."

The smile fell from his face. "What's wrong?" he stepped closer to her. "Have you been crying?"

She bit her lip. "Uh, one of my kids is missing. And, the case Jimbo is working is tracking down his dad for murder. So now, he could get hurt, or-or her could be involved in it, and I don't –" her voice cracked and she held a hand over her mouth.

"Alyssa..." Oswald limped up to her and wrapped his arms around her. "It'll be okay. The kids you raise are some of the most remarkable people I've ever met. You taught them to get out of anything; to always return home."

"I-I know, I'm just, I'm just worried about him..."

"Tell me his name." he pulled back just enough to look at her. "I'll put some men out on him and his father."

"Y-You don't have to –"

"I _want_ to." he cut her off. "If not that, then what? How can I help you, please I want to help you."

Unfortunately, Alyssa's could not go on hold simply because she was worried. She still had kids to take care of, reporters to fend off, and apparently a party to attend.

Why the hell had she gone into business again?

As if to remind her, her phone rang. Thinking it was Johnathan, she was quick to pull it out of her pocket. She huffed in annoyance however when she saw the caller ID.

"I'm busy Dent, this had better be important."

"Oh, its the most important thing in the _world_. Stanley Turnable has gone missing."

"So?" Alyssa frowned. Stanley Turnable was the Chief Judge in Gotham and had single handedly kept her from winning custody of Jerome for the last four years. Both she and Harvey couldn't stand the man.

"So, your case has been moved to the next judge available. Namely; Melanie Martinez."

"You're _kidding_." the district attorney suddenly had her full attention. Melanie Martinez was one of the few Gotham officials who was actually a decent person. She had been the one to sign off on making Alyssa's 'Mama Gotham' project an official charity, and had saved more than one of her kids from juvy.

"Nope! When Haly's Circus returns to Gotham this weekend, we will finally be able to get your boy away from there."

" _Ha!_ Thank you, _finally_ something goes right today!" Alyssa cheered.

Harvey chuckled. "I'll draw up the paperwork, you get Jerome to the court house. Say, ten o'clock on Saturday?"

"Yes, yes absolutely! Thank you! Harvey Dent, you're a saint and I love you!"

"Happy to help."

Close to hyperventilating, Johnathan tore from the house. He hated doing this, he hated having to see the scarecrow everywhere he went.

Running his fingers though his hair he tried to focus on something else. The Safe Haven Hotel. The kids who pouted and threw their pencils when he tried to teach them math and they didn't understand it. Alyssa; the woman who managed to stay so level-headed and in control no matter what was thrown at her.

She wouldn't be afraid. Johnathan was certain Alyssa Connors wasn't afraid of anything.

Alyssa...He had turned off his phone hours ago to stop the constant buzzing. He hated not being able to answer her calls, knowing she was probably worried sick. God, what would she say? If she knew what he was involved in now, she'd probably never want to see him again.

"Johnny!" his dad's voice called after him. "We've started the protocol, it must be completed, it will be harmful for you otherwise!"

"I c-can't I can't do it again." he shook his head. His stuttering was coming back, this wasn't a good sign.

"Think of it Johnny! No more fear."

"I-I'm not I'm not even afraid like you!"

"We're all afraid!" he exclaimed. "Every man and woman on the planet! We're all standing at the edge of the abyss, paralyzed by fear!"

Johnathan stumbled back for every step his father took forward.

 _'I-It doesn't scare you?'_

 _'There's no reason to be scared when you've got people to protect you.'_

Her voice echoed in his head, making him bend over and rub at his temples. His dad laid a hand on his back.

"Come on son, trust me. I just want to help you. And mankind." he pulled up back up to a standing position. "Mankind, Johnny. Now you must be brave, hmm?"

 _'Y-You're very brave, Ms. Connors.'_

 _'So are you.'_

"Come on son, are you with me? Lets go back to the house, it'll all be over before you know it. I promise! Come on..." he wrapped an arm around his shoulders and lead him back inside.

The party wasn't exactly raving, and the lone man with a spiked mohawk rocking out to the band was just sad.

But Alyssa kept her mouth shut, sipping her second glass of champagne and standing next to the club owner.

"You can say it." Oswald huffed.

"Say what?" she looked at him with an innocent expression.

He rolled his eyes. "Even when you stay quiet for my sake, you're still the bluntest person I know. You just say it with your eyes."

She bit her lip. "If it makes you feel any better, place looked worse when Fish first opened."

"It does." he nodded with a small smile, clinking his glass with her's.

"Penguin." a familiar voice made them look up. "And the infamous Mama Gotham, right?" Eyes wide, Oswald quickly tried to run for it, but was cut off. "Where you goin'?"

"Don Maroni." Alyssa gave the man a fake smile.

"Such a pleasure to see you." Oswald said.

"Look at you. From the trunk of my car, to running your own club. The place looks good Penguin." he looked around with a small chuckle. "Hell of a turn out. Though I'm not quite sure why Falcone's chairty case is here." his eyes went to Alyssa.

"Business venture." she said curtly.

"How 'bout a table?" Oswald asked, not liking the way Maroni was looking at his friend. "Drinks? My, complements of course."

"Expensive stuff." Maroni said, looking at the bottle on the table the pair had been leaning against. "Lemme see." he picked it up. "I had a little chat with Falcone. I came here to let you know that all is coshire between us." he smacked Oswald lightly, making him flinch. "Long as you don't go telling Falcone anymore of my secrets."

"No. Nothing like that."

"Course not. Grab a glass."

Oswald turned and picked up a fresh glass of champagne for the Don. He was about to hand it to him when the hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"You better hope that old man Falcone lives a long life." Maroni said darkly, pouring into the glass until it overflowed. "Cuz the _second_ , he's outta the picture, so are you." he patted Oswald on the back and left with his men.

Alyssa reached for a bar rag and offered it to him. Nodding in thanks, he set the glass down and wiped the alchol off his hand.

"If I get floated down another river because of you, just know that I'll stop being your friend then." she said in a half-joking manner.

"Fair enough." Oswald smiled slightly.

They both knew nothing could split them up.

Alyssa ran down the hall of the hospital as fast as her legs could carry her. Too fast infact, as when she reached her destination she stumbled and nearly fell, only to be caught by the man she was slowly beginning to resent.

"Boyscout, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"I'm here for Johnathan, Harvey called and said you found him."

"Yeah, well..." he nodded to the room's window.

Johnathan was there, in a hospital gown, strapped to the bed convulsing like he was having a non-stop seizure.

"Oh my god, what happened?" she demanded.

"Well, the boy received a massive dose of condensed hormones." the doctor said. "Cortazone, adrenaline. And another compound we're still trying to identify. Combination nearly killed him."

"But he's gonna live, right?"

"Yes...But we ran a cat scan in order to determine if he suffered any brain damage, the results well, we've never seen anything like them before. The hormones have long since worn off, but the effects, they seem to be lingering?"

"Yeah, its called being scared outta your mind." Alyssa said bluntly. "He just needs to be somewhere he feels safe. Even if it doesn't fix everything, its bound to help."

"And where exactly would safe be?" Jim gave her a look.

"My hotel. He used to come down when his dad was 'working late.'"

"You knew him personally and you didn't think to tell me during the case?!"

"Name one troubled child in this city I _don't_ know personally." she glared at him. "I asked him a couple times why he kept coming and he said he felt safe there." she turned to the doctor. "What do I have to sign for you to let me take him home?"

"You must be joking, the boy is in need of sever medical attention, he can't be moved."

"I told you, what he needs is safety! What part of being strapped to a hospital bed do you think makes him feel safe?" she walked around him and the detective, into the hospital room.

"Ms. Connors/Alyssa!" they both called after her, but they were ignored.

"Johnathan?" she stepped up to the bed and laid her hand over his. His eyes snapped to her's. Much to the surprise of those around him, he stopped convulsing, but he did twitch slightly. "Hey, its okay. You're safe now. Everything's gonna be okay."


	34. We'll Be A Perfect Family

"Stupid recipes, turning deliciousness into work..." Alyssa muttered as she fumbled to find all the necessary ingredients. A bag of flour slipped from the counter and exploded all over her. "Ah! Damn it..."

"What are you doing?"

She looked up to see Jerome in the kitchen doorway watching her with an amused smirk. Alyssa huffed and let her hands drop to her sides, the flour puffing where her hands hit her legs.

"Uh, the 'Mama Gotham Foundation' is having a bake sale. Or its supposed to anyway; for some reason I'm only a good cook when _I'm_ the one that gets to eat what I make."

"Want some help?"

"Yes please."

He smiled at her. "Go clean yourself up, I'll see what I can do here."

With a grateful smile, Alyssa left the kitchen to wash the flour off her. Selina watched the exchange from the living room, slightly unsettled. She had been unsettled ever since what Jerome had told her last night. The Jerome she knew was the sweetest, most caring boy in the world. Not that his mother didn't deserve what she had gotten but...whoa.

She felt bad for it, but it made her see him in a slightly different light. She had seen Lyla's body, how the hell could the same person who did that be baking brownies in her kitchen with a content smile?

"Ya know, I can feel you staring." he said without looking up.

She blinked and shook her head. "Sorry."

"No, if you have something to say, then say it." he looked up at her.

Selina frowned as she studied his expression. No, there was no sign of malice, or even anger. Right now, Jerome looked like the same sweet boy she'd declared her brother. "I'm just...still trying to process it."

"The bitch deserved what she got."

"I know. Its got nothin' to do with her, its you. I never you'd be the kinda person..."

"Selina I'm still me." his hands gripped at the edge of the kitchen island. "I'm the same Jerome I've always been. I'm still your brother."

His grip tightened with every word, and his gazed hardened. Selina nodded and agreed with him, but she couldn't ignore the chills going down her spine.

For the first time, Jerome had looked like somebody who'd kill someone.

Alyssa Connors was rude, brash, obnoxious and stubborn as heck. But...she was also a good person. She was loyal, and she had a good heart.

Jim knew that, and he respected it. But after she had all but shut down his case, he didn't really think much of the woman's redeeming factors.

He tracked down the man who had worked the case to get Alyssa custody of Jerome, and was stunned when the name came up: Harvey Dent. What the hell was a district attorney doing working with Alyssa?

As it turned out, quite a bit.

"Alyssa approached me when she first returned to Gotham." Harvey informed, once he had calmed Jim down slightly. "Want my help in creating a charity that takes in street kids. The kids took to calling her 'Mama', and the press came up with the name from there."

"But why you?" he frowned. "She had the money, why not hire her own lawyer?"

He shrugged. "Said she wanted someone who genuinely wanted to help; not someone who was only there for the paycheck."

"And Valeska?"

"Good kid in a bad situation, you can see how that's Alyssa's MO."

"And you just went along with it?"

He nodded. "Alyssa Connors gets whatever she asks from me."

"Can I ask why?"

"Jim, in your career as a detective, you've been trying to clean up the city, yes?"

"Yeah." Jim said, not sure where this was going.

"I've strived to do the same as a district attorney, and neither of us have gotten very far. But Alyssa has."

"Because she's one of the crooks!"

"Because she understands how this city works!" Harvey countered. "Instead of trying to change the corrupt system, she's used it to her advantage and done nothing but good with it. She has saved those kids, and countless others." he leaned against his desk. "I think we can both respect a woman who knows how to thrive in darkness."

Respect or no respect, Jim simply didn't like to loose.

He drove himself nuts looking over the documents Harvey had given him copies of. There had to be something that could get his case going again; surely if he found the evidence it wouldn't matter what protections Alyssa had.

"Dinner's ready." Lee said, but he didn't look up. "Jim."

"Hmm?"

"You're not still trying to find something on Alyssa, are you?"

Having such a close relationship with the GCPD – and Edward – Lee and Alyssa had met several times. Alyssa was pleasant, other than the times she'd told the doctor off for psychoanalyzing her.

"There has to be something. No one can be impervious to the law."

"You know I always found it odd that you two don't get along. You've actually go a lot in common."

"We do not." Jim frowned. "I'm a cop, she's a criminal."

"She runs a charity."

"Its a front."

"If you say so." Lee sighed. "But you can't deny facts; you're both stubborn, loyal, and you hate to loose. Got a steady set of morals too." She stepped up to the bed and sat down next to him. "So I wondered; how to such similar people clash so much?"

"Lee..."

"Then it hit me why this girl drives you so crazy: she's better than you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Means you've been trying to do good in this city and failing. She came out of no where and did twice what you've done in half the time. And that drives you nuts."

With Jerome making things for the bake sale, Alyssa was able to go out on a date with Edward, which left him and Selina alone in the apartment.

"Are you ever gonna tell her?"

"Tell who what?" Jerome asked sliding another pan into the oven.

"Alyssa about Lyla."

Jerome stilled at the sound of his mother's name. "...No."

"Why not?"

"I'm just not, okay?" his voice cracked slightly.

"You don't trust her?"

"I trust Alyssa with my life." He said instantly. "I just...I don't wanna get her in trouble. She's happy, I want her to stay happy."

"...Okay." she nodded.

For a few days, everything was perfect. Alyssa had full custody of Selina and Jerome, she and Edward were going strong, and the bake sale had sold out.

It was perfect. It was _normal_.

But it was just a shade pulled over the poor woman's eyes. Behind the scenes, Selina was breaking up inside with the secret she was keeping.

She loved her brother, and her mother. _Loved_ them. And Lyla was an abusive, drunken bitch, why should her death bother her so much?

Except it didn't. What bothered her was Jim Gordon. Selina knew him well enough to know that he wasn't going to drop the case. He'd keep at it until he found out Jerome had killed her, and then the perfect family Alyssa had worked so hard to build would be shattered.

Like Jerome, Selina's main goal was for her mother to be happy. Just knowing that it was only a matter of time before that happiness would be torn from her was enough to bring tears to the strong girl's eyes.

And what would happen when she found out? Alyssa, for all her street smarts, had a habit of putting those she loved on a pedestal. Finding out what he had done would knock Jerome off his pedestal. She didn't want to see that.

God, why had she taken the woman's offer of a home all those years ago? Oh right, it was everything she had ever wanted.

Food, a warm bed, people who cared if you came home at night. She wanted to scream at Jerome for putting all of that in jeopardy, but she found she couldn't.

Because damn it all, he was still her _brother_.

"Boyscout, its almost midnight, why are we here?" Alyssa asked, annoyed. Selina and Jerome stood on either side of her, looking slightly tired after working the bake sale all day.

"We just need to talk with Jerome." Jim gave her a tight smile. "If you'll just take a seat, we'll call you when we're ready for you."

"You gonna be okay?" she looked to the ginger, who nodded.

"You worry too much, Alyssa." he smiled slightly.

She chuckled slightly and patted his arm. "Somebody's gotta." she turned to Jim. "You've got five minutes."

When five minutes came and went, Alyssa headed down towards the interigation rooms.

"Mom!" Selina called, running after her. She had a bad feeling she knew exactly what this was about, and it wasn't something she wanted Alyssa to see.

But see she did as they stopped outside the one-way window where Jerome, Jim, Lee, and for some reason Mr. Cicero were.

"Did you find out who killed my mother?"

" _You_ killed your mother, Jerome."

Alyssa froze, her face going pale. Selina gulped.

"...Me?" Jerome frowned.

"You killed her up on that hill, and Mr. Cicero let you clean up in his trailer." Jim continued. "He told you to scratch the saintist stuff on the hatchet and throw it off the bridge."

Jerome shook his head. "Sir, that's absurd, an-and offensive."

"But its the truth." he said simply. "I figure Alyssa and Selina don't know; Alyssa's lenient, but not that lenient. What I don't know is why this man risked so much to help you. I think he's your father."

Jerome chuckled breathlessly, but the smile didn't stay in place for long. "You don't know what you're talking about. My father was a sea captain."

"Am I wrong, Mr. Cicero?" Jim leaned back in his seat.

"Yes."

"He was a sea captain, his name was Sven Carlson, he died at sea." Jerome recited the story he had told Alyssa when she'd asked about his father.

"What was the name of his ship?"

"He worked on a lot of different ships."

"The one he went down in."

"...She never said."

"We can do a blood test to prove I'm right. Takes only half an hour to get a fool-proof result, isn't that right Dr. Thompkins?" he looked at Lee over his should.

"Yes." she nodded.

"Save yourself a needle."

"...I do hate needles."

Alyssa and Selina shared a shocked look behind the glass.

"That son of bitch." Alyssa whispered. "I knew there was a reason I hated him."

Back inside the room, the blind man continued, unaware of the woman watching.

"I'm sorry, Jerome."

"W-What are you talking about?" Jerome's voice shook.

"He's right. I am, your father."

"No your not! Why would you say that?!"

"You must've suspected the truth."

"You're not my father, my mother would never –"

"Your mother was a cruel woman, she was often unkind to me. But she did once love me, in her way." he patted the boy's arm. "And she loved you very much, that's why she gave you a better father."

Jerome broke down in tears, bending his head down to hide the sobs. Alyssa was about to run in there and comfort him – and maybe break Mr. Cicero 's jaw.

But then his sobs turned to laughter.

"My mother, was a cold hearted whore who never loved anyone." he said in a raspy voice. "And she'd never touch a pathetic, old, _creep_ , like you."

"All these years, do you think I was kind to you because I'm such a good man? If I wasn't your father, would I helped you as I have after what you did?"

Jerome gave him a very dangerous look, but it faded as he turned back to the detective. "My father. Hmm. I'll be damned." he only received stares. "Oh no, its very funny." he laughed, but not the sweet, joyful laugh Alyssa had heard everytime they set off fireworks. This was an evil laugh. "Ba doom tish!" he mimed a drum and cymbal. "Looks like the bitch got me with a zinger in the end."

"Why did you kill your mother, Jerome?" Jim asked, surprisingly calm.

"Oh, you know how mothers are." he waved his hand as though talking about the weather. "She just. Kept. _Pushing_. And I'm like fine mom, be a whore. Be a drunken whore even. But don't be a _nagging_ drunken whore. Ya know?" he smiled. "Don't come yell at me to do the dishes, if you've been _banging_ a clown, _in the next room!_ " he banged his fist on the metal table. "Ya know?" The anger faded from his face as quickly as it had come, a grin nearly splitting his face in half as he laughed. "And you can do _whatever the hell_ you want to me, but when you mess my family, well that's when I get mad."

"When she attacked Alyssa..." Jim realized.

"Oh my god..." Alyssa breathed.

Getting Jerome out of the precinct was...a challenge, to say the least.

Once he saw that Alyssa and Selina were outside the interrogation room, he fought against the cop pulling him by his handcuffed arms. He screamed that they couldn't keep him from them, that he'd kill anyone who tried to take his family away.

"Alyssa –" Jim said, probably planning to question her about the murder.

" _Don't_." she cut him off, and for once he listened. Or maybe he was just in shock. Alyssa Connors, the single strongest woman he knew sounded...broken. She stared after Jerome until he was out of the building, then muttered a 'what the hell?', and turned and socked Mr. Cicero in the jaw.

Looking pale herself, Selina grabbed her arm before she could take another swing. Without a word, she lead the woman out of the precinct.


	35. Worth Killing For

Alyssa Connors liked to believe she was a good person. Not a hero, or a saint by any means, but a good person.

But first and foremost she was a loyal person. You'd never find anyone who loved their family and friends more.

Which was why recent developments posed a difficult situation for her. One one hand, Jerome had killed someone. Going by the marks on the body, he'd kept swinging long after the damage was done. Alyssa could understand many things in the city of Gotham, but she'd never believed in killing in cold blood.

Except that hadn't been the case. Lyla Valeska was a horrible woman who had abused and tormented her son for god knows how long. And she had attacked Alyssa, which was what had been the final straw for Jerome.

That was the most unsettling thing; that he had killed her after she'd attacked her. That he had killed his own mother _for_ Alyssa Connors.

Still, she knew there was more to him. All the things they had been through, the affection and devotion he had shown to her and Selina – he couldn't fake that.

Could he?

Alyssa threw her glass at the wall, and it shattered upon impact, spilling the wine all over the floor. She took a deep breath to steady herself. Now was _not_ the time to let her emotions get the better of her.

"Mom?"

She turned around. "Kitten. What are you still doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep..." she looked down.

"You thinking about him too?" Selina nodded, tears coming to her eyes. "Oh, kitten, come're..." she held out her arms for the girl, who was quick to run into them.

"I just don't get it..." she cried into her shoulder. "He's a good person, I know he is. He loves us!"

"Oh honey..." Alyssa pulled back to look at her. "Of _course_ he does. He's just been through a lot of hard stuff. You know how that is, it messes with your head."

"He's _not_ crazy!"

"I know, I know..." she sighed. "His therapist called the other day. Said he's been asking to see us."

"A-Are we gonna go?"

"I don't want you anywhere near that place." she rubbed at Selina's arms. "Its not safe. The guards they –" she shook her head. "They aren't exactly good at their jobs."

"You go down there all the time." she pointed out.

"Because the patients know me. They don't hurt you when they think you're their friend." she sighed. "I'll go myself. Maybe, if it goes well, I'll arrange for you to visit. Okay?"

She nodded. "...Okay."

Alyssa had always been fascinated by Arkham Asylum. Growing up in Gotham, she had developed a strong understanding of human nature and why people did bad things, and Arkham was the epi-center of unusual human nature. Every patient had motive for their criminal acts, reasons why they were the people they were. And admittedly, 9/10 were justified in it. Alyssa had never believed in killing in cold blood, but those who deserved it...meh.

The facility itself however was hardly a place for any of its residents to get 'better.' The rules were loose, the doctors mostly believed in pills and shock therapy, and the guards liked to beat the patients they thought stepped out of line.

Which was why it had been her sort of pet project since it had re-opened. With a little smooth talking to Falcone, he had given her many freedoms in the place. She could fire guards, forbid harsher treatments to her favorite patients, even bring in home-cooked meals – the food they served was disgusting.

"That lasagna looks delicious." the guard leading her though the building said with a smirk.

"None for you." Alyssa glared at him. "Creep..."

The sound of her voice made the inmates in the recreation room look up. Several who recognized her jumped up, but Jarvis Tetch was the one who got there first.

"My Queen! You've returned!" he said with a wide grin, trying to reach for her through the chain-link fence.

"Hello Hatter." Alyssa said with a small smile.

"You didn't come for tea yesterday..." his overly happy look was replaced with one just as sad.

"I'm very sorry, something came up." she said with a regretful look. "The Tweedles were causing trouble again." she tapped the side of her nose.

"Oh those boys." he shook his head.

"I'm afraid I'm not here for a social visit either. I'm looking for one of the newer inmates; Jerome Valeska?"

"Cheshire!" Jarvis lit up. "Yes of course! Chess!" he yelled over his shoulder.

The ginger in question looked over his shoulder. "What now?" his eyes lit up when he saw who Jarvis was talking to. "Alyssa. I knew you'd come..."

"Hiya J." she turned to the guard beside her. "Well? You gonna stand there like an idiot, or are you gonna open the gate?"

"Ms. Connors –"

"Open the gate." she glared at him. The heavy-set man fumbled with his keys, a buzzer sounding as the gate swung open. "Thank you." she stepped in, letting the door swing closed behind her. She set the pile of food – lasagna, baked potatoes, cookies, muffins – on one of the empty tables. "Alright, you all know the rules; line up and play nice."

It was fascinating to see her command a room of people who usually never listened to anyone. They formed a perfect line in front of the table, peering over each other's shoulders and bouncing on their heels like children. They each took their share of the food, Alyssa monitoring to make sure they didn't take more than they should.

"So _alpha_." Jerome came to stand beside her. "Just when I thought you'd run out of ways to amaze me."

"Always a good idea to make friends with people willing and able to kill." she said simply. "Speaking of..." she turned to face him. "Thanks."

"For what?" he looked at her with wide innocent eyes.

"For protecting me."

A wide grin lit up his face. "Don't worry about it, doll! Nobody hurts my family." the mad smile was gone as quickly as it had come. "How's Cat?"

Alyssa sighed. "Shaken, to say the least. You being sent here didn't exactly fit the perfect family she imagined us being."

"Yeah, I admit it didn't go according to plan." he sighed. "But no worries! I'll be out in no time, and we can be together again!" Alyssa forced a smile, but Jerome didn't seem to notice. "Come on! I want you to meet my friends!" he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards one of the tables.

Alyssa had already met Jerome's friends, if they could be called that. Frankly they seemed scared of him, flinching whenever he got too close. Except Greenwood, but he was far too arrogant to keep his mouth shut.

When he said she looked 'beautiful as ever, good enough to eat' Alyssa shifted her chair away from him, closer to Jerome. The ginger was quick to move his arm around her waist.

"Greenwood, you so much as _breathe_ a way my Alyssa doesn't like, I'll cut you into little pieces and make you eat yourself." he said this as though talking about the weather, but it made the burly man go pale.

Oh boy, what she gotten herself into?

Having such close relationships with patients at an asylum had to say something for her own sanity as well. The fact that she knew what they had done and why, yet still spoke to them like anyone else had to be bad.

But for some reason – what it was, Alyssa would never know – they were all civil back to her. And it wasn't just because Jerome had scared them, they had liked her well before they'd met the ginger.

The opinions of the inmates however, did not match up to the opinion of Jerome's therapist who'd asked to see Alyssa.

"Ms. Connors, how long have you know Jerome Valeska?" she asked in a hard, professional tone that Alyssa doubted made patients trust her.

"Going on ten years now."

"How did you meet?"

"My family visited the circus. I found him crying, so I bought him some cotton candy."

Dr. Harris gave a judging 'hmm.' "And what is the nature of your relationship with the patient?'

"I'm his legal guardian." the woman looked up from her clipboard in surprise. "Oh you didn't know that?"

"No..." she said, clearly bothered by this new information.

"Well I'm sure you're aware that Lyla Valeska was hardly mother material. As soon as I was able, I hired a lawyer to get him away from her. Judge signed the papers same day Lyla was found dead."

Dr. Harris shifted in her seat. "Ms. Connors, Jerome has been resisting my help. He only ever talks about killing his mother – going into extreme detail – and how much he cares for you and your daughter. I'd say he's obsessed with you both."

Alyssa scoffed. "Come on Doc, with the life he's lead its only natural he'd latch onto the only people to show him kindness. We're...an anchor."

"What you are, Ms. Connors, is a trigger. Jerome killed his own mother for _you_ , he's told me this personally."

"She attacked me." she frowned. "Hit me over the head with a bottle – I got nine stitches and a concussion!"

"And in return he sliced her to pieces with a hatchet. Ms. Connors I think its best if you don't come back to visit him."

"You're joking right? On of the _only_ people in the world he cares about and you think keeping me from him is going to make him _better?_ "

" _Yes._ "

" _No_. I'm not doing that. I'm not abandoning him."

Despite Alyssa's hectic family life, her businesses still needed her attention. And apparently, so did her business partner.

"Well, I can set up a few auditions with some of the older kids that want to go into showbiz, but booze is gonna be tougher." she and Oswald slid into a booth at his bar. "I get mine from an old friend in Metropolis. I've got some extra stock that could hold you over for a while, but not forever."

Oswald smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you, Alyssa. I owe you one."

"You owe about sixty." Alyssa sipped her drink with a wry smile.

He chuckled. "Well, that's true." he conceded. In all the years he'd known her, Alyssa had been there for him every time he'd asked; even when she was mad at him for disappearing, she welcomed him back with open arms. "But not to worry dove, when my plans pan out, you'll be treated like a queen." he promised.

She chuckled. "Don't worry about it Ozzy. What are friends for?"

"Play nice you two!" Alyssa called to a pair of younger kids. "Hey booze bag." she nudged a dozing drunk with the toe of her boot. "I don't care _where_ you go, but ya can't sleep _here_."

"Thought this was an open home to all who needed it?" he said, coughing like he had been smoking.

"I offer a roof and warm meals for those who earn their keep. I ain't a homeless shelter. Out!"

Groaning, the man stood and left. "Bitch..."

"I heard that!" she called after him. Not long after the door closed, it opened again, making Alyssa look up. "Barbara. What are you doing here?"

The blonde held up the box in her arms with a smile. "I realized I don't wear half the things in my closet anymore. Though some of it might fit your kids."

"That's very kind of you." Alyssa smiled. "I haven't seen you since the art gallery." she said as Barbara set the box next to the hotel front desk. "How have you been?"

"Uh, I've been better. I'm sure you've heard that Jim and I broke up."

"Yeah...Though to be honest, I don't particularly care for Lee." she admitted.

"Oh?"

"She's nice enough." she shrugged. "But she keeps trying to psychoanalyze me."

Barbara chuckled. "I've seen your paintings Alyssa, you're certainly a very complex person." her smile faded. "I um, I don't suppose you need any extra help around here? I've been sitting in my apartment so much I memorized the number of ceiling tiles." she chuckled again, but this time it was nervous and sheepish.

"Well, if you don't mind changing diapers, no one ever wants to be on baby duty."

"I love babies." Barbara lit up.

"Right this way then, Ms. Kean."

"Mooney's man or not..." Alyssa said, watching the workers cart in Maroni's booze. "You gotta admit, he's good."

"Thanks Alyssa." the large man came up to her. Alyssa resisted the urge to wince at the scarred 'V' on his forehead. Despite his fondness of her, she knew that that was the only thing stopping him from killing her in the name of Fish Mooney. "Nice to see the place is stayin' afloat eh?"

"I'm still amazed you got that smell out." she shook her head.

Butch chuckled. "Come on, I'll pour ya a drink."

What cheap alchol tasted like, Alyssa may never know. Between working for Fish, being friends with Lex, and running her own bar, she had only tasted the good stuff.

"You remember your first drink in this place?" Butch asked, swirling his liquor in the glass.

"Course." Alyssa nodded. " _You_ gave it to me. Said it would calm my nerves as I recall."

"Well you did kill a man."

"You pointed a gun at my head." she mimed the action. "Offered me an ultimatum. I choose to keep breathing."

"I had to startle you into pulling the trigger." he countered, gulping down his shot.

"I didn't want to..." Alyssa turned her drink in her hand slightly. "I never wanted anything to do with this place, or this city. And yet look at me now; one of Falcone's highest."

"All because I found you in a dumpster." Butch chuckled, pouring himself a refill. He held it up. "To unplanned victories."

"Here here." she clicked her glass with his and they both drank.

"Its not just Falcone you know. Penguin's got a shine on ya too."

Alyssa shrugged. "We go back. And apparently, I'm worth killing for."

"No kidding. I almost felt bad for Sammy."

"Sammy?" she frowned at the name of the man who'd nearly killed her on Fish's orders.

"He's dead." Butch informed. "Second he was in control, Penguin tied him up and killed him _real_ slow like."

"He never told me that..."

He shrugged. "Well like you said sweetheart, you're worth killing for."

"...Y-Yeah...Yeah, it would seem so." Alyssa poured herself a refill and gulped it quickly.

This time it did nothing for her nerves.


	36. Very Great Things

**A/N: This is a chapter that I am particularly proud of. I hope you like it as much as I do.**

As a surrogate mother of two hundred with a small empire to boot, it wasn't surprising that Alyssa's number of adult friends was limited. Even then, the adult friends she had were all male, so Barbara Kean was a breath of fresh air.

It was _fun_ to be able to just gossip without having to worry about Ozzy's plans, or her relationship with Eddie. For once, Alyssa was able to rant without facing worry, or her friends trying to jump in an help. Barbara understood a woman's need to simply vent, and it was a god send for Alyssa.

Even better, Barbara came from a rich background so she was able to appreciate Alyssa's stories about Lex and Oliver. She was also an artist herself, and Alyssa found that working with like-minded eye did _wonders_ for her self-esteem when it came to showing off her work.

And things always worked better for Alyssa when she was in a good mood; business flourished, the kids were all happy – Barbara was _brilliant_ with them – and with the extra help, she was able to have time for dates with Edward, which all went splendidly.

But, to be fair, she was living in Gotham.

Which is why she couldn't say she was all that surprised when she got a call from Harvey Dent saying that the charges had been dropped against Arnold Flass. Sure, she was mad, just not surprised.

Harvey asked if she wanted to go out to lunch, and she agreed. She ran over things with Barbara a hundred times on her way out.

"Oh, and make sure Liam gets his ear medicine! Its in the office fridge!"

"I know, its on the list you left me." she chuckled. "Go, have fun! You don't need to worry."

"I'm sorry, have you met me?" Alyssa raised an eyebrow.

Barbara rolled her eyes. "Fine, worry, but have fun too!"

 ***Four years ago***

Knock knock knock knock!

 _Harvey Dent looked up as his office door was knocked on. "Yes? Can I help you?" he asked the woman who had to be around his age, but he didn't recognize her._

 _"You Harvey Dent?"_

 _"I am. Who are you?"_

 _"My name's Alyssa Connors. Got a job for ya."_

 _"Oh?"_

 _She nodded. "I need some legal things done and I have no idea how to do them. That's where you come in."_

 _He frowned. "Ms. Connors, I'm a district attorney. You need a personal lawyer."_

 _"Mm-mm" she shook her head. "Don't want a yes man in it for the pay check. I like what I've heard about you; you're legit. You genuinely want to clean up Gotham." she shrugged. "Long shot, but I think I know where to start. Trouble is, to pull it off I need to make sure no one can stop me. I've got a plan, and you Harvey Dent, are the key to all of it."_

 _Harvey was silent for a moment. "...And what would this plan be exactly?"_

"And now he wants to find Lobe's stock pile; steal the dragon's gold." Harvey took a sip of his coffee.

"Wow. I may not like the boyscout, but even I have to respect his guts." Alyssa chuckled.

"He never gives in, I'll give him that..." he looked down. "I'm sorry about Jerome." he said suddenly.

Alyssa's smile faded quickly at the change in topic. "Yeah. Me too. You put in all that work just for him to end up in Arkham..."

Harvey shook his head. "No, its not that. I liked him, I thought he was a good kid. And I saw from day one how much you cared about him – how much he cared for _you_." he informed. "I know its a bad situation, but with your help, I genuinely believe he can return to the boy we know and love."

Her smile returned slightly, but it was sad. "You're sweet. Its nice to hear someone understand that there's more to him than what he did." she sighed. "He liked you too, you know. Always it was nice to have someone who didn't give up on him."

His sad smile matched her's. "I know Jerome. I know he's a good person. Lyla just pushed too hard as all; put anyone through what she did to him and they're bound to snap eventually."

"Yeah..." Alyssa looked out the window. The city was bustling as usual, clouds hanging above them threatening rain. "Harv, you ever wanna give up on this place? Just say 'screw it' and move somewhere far far away?"

"Occasionally." he admitted. "But then I'd be giving up on all the people here who need my help. You included."

"This wasn't supposed to be my life." she shook her head. "I had everything I had dreamed of since I was a kid; big brick house, small town, people who brought over cookies for the new neighbors." she had a fond smile of her face as she recalled Smallville. "Even had a room for Jerome just like I promised him. Only reason I came back to this city is because social services caught up with us. I promised J I'd get him back. Not a week after I do, he lands his ginger ass in an asylum; what's that say about me?"

"It says that you got there too late, we both did."

"You know I was there, when he confessed. Said he went after her because of what she did to me. Now I hated Lyla, but..." Alyssa shook her head. "Tell me it was her fault, please. If its not her, then its me, and I _don't_ want it to be me, so it has to be her." she said all of this very fast.

"Hey..." Harvey laid his hand on her's across the table. "Of course its not your fault. Jerome was abused for years; it was Lyla's fault, and it was a long time coming." he sighed. "Its not pretty, but its her fault, not your's, okay?"

She nodded. "Thanks Harvey. You're a good friend."

He smiled softly. "Speaking of which, I have something for you." his free hand reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small key charm that matched the shade of sliver as the charms on Alyssa's wrist. "I know that the charms and the people they represent are a big deal to you, I-I hope I'm not overstepping anything –"

"I _like_ the charm." she cut him off with a smile. "May I ask though, why a key?"

Harvey's cheeks went a dull pink. "When we met, you said I was the key to your plans. I don't know, I wasn't really sure what else to pick."

"You remember that?"

"Of course. I remember everything we've done together. Its hard not to; you are the most remarkable person I've ever known."

"Harvey –"

"Its true. I admire you very much. A-And, I hope you'll except this." he held the charm out to her.

Alyssa smiled and took it from his hand.

"Are you sure about this?" Oswald said, studying the sparkling gymnasts on the stage.

"You'll want to start with something fancy; draw in the crowd. We can vary it as we go along." Alyssa shrugged.

"You're the expert."

They both turned around as the door opened.

"Harvey. Boyscout. What are you doing here?" Alyssa frowned.

"We're gonna steal a stockpile of blackmail." Harvey said with the same look he always got when he was roped into something he thought was nuts. "Wanna help?"

"Commissioner Lobe has a stock of dirt on who the hell knows how many people." Jim informed. "Only ones who would know where he keeps it are him and Don Falcone. That's where he comes in." he pointed to Oswald.

"You do realize what you're asking me to do. If Don Falcone is working with Commissioner Lobe to keep this trove of secrets hidden, and I help you uncover them, I'd be betraying my patron."

"That's right." Jim nodded.

"If he found out he'd –" he chuckled. "Well he'd be very angry to say the least."

"Enough with the himin' and hain'." Harvey cut in. "You gonna help us or not?"

Oswald gave him a hard look, but didn't respond. "Lets say for arguments sake, I could help you. What's in it for me?"

"I'll owe you a favor."

"No questions asked?"

"Jim." Harvey warned.

"Yes."

"Do you know what this is?" Oswald pointed to the bottle of liquor sitting at the table with them. "Madre de dios. A hundred bottles made once a year, by monks in the Italian countryside. Its Don Maroni's favorite."

"What's your point?" Jim raised an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "Just a peace of information that might be useful one day. I like information. If I help you find where Lobe keeps his files, you give Alyssa and I ten minutes alone with them. We take what we want."

"When did I get roped into this?" Alyssa frowned.

"Five minutes. And you don't touch anything that has to do with cops." Jim bargained.

Oswald smiled. "Five minutes with the files, and a favor from Jim Gordon? Done! So who's up for a road trip?"

Alyssa didn't particularly care for the creepy farm house and the old couple. It felt like the setting for a horror movie. Plus something kept rattling – the old man called it raccoons, but it was way to heavy to be an animal.

"Margie pie, that was quick!" he said to the woman who had gone for his keys, but had returned with a shotgun.

The man pulled out a handgun, inducing a fire off between them and the detectives. The two people without guns were quick to duck for cover.

Alyssa wasn't sure how, but she had ended up upstairs. She unlocked the first door she saw and was quick to slam it behind her.

"Oh!" another voice said in surprise, making her eyes snap up to the last thing she expected to see; a young blonde woman in a dress, clearly she had been up here for a while. "I-Is the party over?" she asked. "I-I prepared a song. It includes a dance and everything."

"I'm Alyssa Connors, who the hell are you?" she frowned.

"I-I'm Miriam Lobe. D-Did my father send you?" she asked curiously.

"I uh..."

"Wait did you say Alyssa Connors? I've heard your name on the radio! Oh, you're so sweet for helping all those poor children."

"T-Thank you. Um, some friends of mine are downstairs, they work for your dad. Would it, be alright if they came up?"

"Oh of course!" she nodded with a bright smile.

"Great." Alyssa opened the door and yelled down the hall. "Boyscout! You're gonna wanna see this!"

While with her friends Alyssa doubted she was in any position to judge, Miriam Lobe was creepy. That was only proven when she showed them her 'new hobby.'

"I started making jewelry." she held up a necklace made of bird bones.

"What's it made of?" Harvey asked.

"Bones. Starlings. They land on my windowsill, and you can catch them. If you're really silent and still." she whispered. "And I can be really silent, and still. Silent as a mouse."

"Then what do you do?" Jim asked.

"I, crush the back of their heads. I just press down with my thumb. It makes a kinda, a popping noise." the necklace in her hand was starting to crumble in her grip. " _Pop_."

"Miriam..." the three of them took their seats again. "Can you tell us about your mother's death?"

"...I'm a good person." she said with tears in her eyes. "Sometimes good people make mistakes. That's what father said."

"Did you make a mistake with your mother?" Alyssa asked, _hating_ how this girl was beginning to sound a lot like Jerome. "Is it like what happens with the birds?"

"No..." Miriam shook her head. "Not like with the birds, silly...I had to use a candlestick on her. She wouldn't stop singing, either! She knew that it was _my_ night. I was supposed to preform at dinner. Not her..."

"So you hit and she stopped?"

"And your dad covered it up." Alyssa sighed.

"He knew that it was my night!"

They heard a thudding from downstairs and went to go look. Oswlad was laying alone on the floor.

"I'm sorry Jim." he pushed himself up. "They came at me, I tried –" The sound of a car starting up was heard, and Jim ran past him to the window to see the truck leaving. "Did you find what Lobe's hiding?" Oswald asked as Alyssa helped him to his feet. "Is it here?"

"Yes."

"Well a deal's a deal. You have to let me in there."

"Who's he?" Miriam stepped forward. "He looks just like a bird. Oh, I love birds."

"Nyah." Alyssa pulled on Oswald's arm to get him away from her.

Alyssa studied the letter written on Arkham Asylum stationary. Apparently her regular visits were not enough for Jerome and he had taken to writing to her about how much he missed her and Selina. The letter talked about all the fun things they'd done, how grateful he was that she had come into his life...

By all respects, it should have made her smile and brought warmth to her heart. But in reality, all it did was make her feel ill.

 _"I'm a good person. Sometimes good people make mistakes."_

How was it that she was all for locking Miriam Lobe up, but she was still certain Jerome was a good kid? It made her feel like a hypocrite, and there was nothing Alyssa Connors hated more than hypocrites.

She laid her head in her hand and shut her eyes to keep away the tears.

The white tulips blended in perfectly with the snow as she set them on the ground in front of the gravestone.

 _Alison Nygma_

 _Beloved Mother_

Alyssa swallowed the lump in her throat. "I-I really hope you knew that I loved you, and that I appreciated everything you ever did for me. I hope that you didn't die thinking I ran off because of you, or that I was just some stupid street kid..." she looked down. "And, I know I haven't got any right to be here, but... _I don't know what to do_." her voice cracked. "Things are a lot worse than they were, and I don't think they're going to get any better...I-I just...you always seemed to know how to fix everything...I _really_ wish you were here..." she sighed. "You took me in when I didn't have any place else to go. You were the real Mama Gotham. It all happened because'a you. So thank you. And, I'm sorry, I wasn't there...But, Eddie turned out great." she smiled softly, tears in her eyes. "I know it couldn't have been easy after what I did...I just _don't_ wanna do any more damage." she looked up at the sky. "So if you can hear me...I need some help."

The only answer she got was a face full of snowflakes.

"Yeah...Didn't think so." Alyssa sighed and rubbed at her eyes. She walked past the grave, leaving the flowers where she'd left them.

She was about to leave the grave yard and head home, but she stopped when she spotted a familiar name.

 _Hamish Johnson_

 _Beloved Father, Grandfather, and Teacher_

 _'So often you find that the students you're trying to inspire are the ones inspiring you.'_

"Oh..." she stepped up to the headstone. "Hello Hamish...Long time no see..."

To be honest, Alyssa hadn't thought about the principal in a long time. She felt bad for it now; he had been such a big part of her life so long ago.

She knelt down and studied the quote, running her fingers over the carving.

 _'So often you find that the students you're trying to inspire are the ones inspiring you.'_

 _"I expect great things from you, Ms. Connors. Very great things."_

"You never gave up on me..." Alyssa smiled fondly. "Never once." she stood, seeming much stronger than she had been a minute ago, "I'm not gonna let you down, Hamish. I promise."


End file.
